The first family I created, the Sanduskys. Although I have written a lot about them before, I didn't include them in my "Forever Family" series, so it is now their turn.
Enjoy! :)
My name is Louisiana Sandusky, and my husband, William ("Bill") and myself are the adoptive parents of an unbelievable 50 children.
Yeah, I know, I know..I can see you all right now, looking at us or scratching your heads, and you probably are thinking that either you didn't hear right, or you think that we are crazier than a lake full of loons. Maybe we ARE crazy, but we adopted kids nobody else wanted, and we adopted the children we have because we wanted to give them a chance at life and a chance of growing up in a stable home and family environment, something a lot of these beautiful children have never had until they joined our family.
It all started with our first child, a son named Johnny, and then a week later, our first daughter, Ronee', joined our family, bringing the number from three to four (two parents, two children). Sure, they were both only a few months old, tiny, helpless, and coming with health concerns, but we were more than ready to meet their needs, and we took the newcomers into our hearts joyfully and willingly. Johnny and Ronee' are now 10 1/2 years old, turning 10 1/2 only yesterday, but they have brought both Bill and myseslf countless moments or joy (and even some heartbreak), and they have far exceeded any expectations pinned upon them by doctors or medical "experts". Ronee' was born in Louisiana and was a biracially mixed child, and Johnny came to us from Germany; but even though they were totally opposite in many ways, both grew to be extremely close, and they remain so to this very day.
Besides Johnny and Ronee' (Johnny has muscular dystrophy and other phsyical problems, and Ronee' has systemic-onset JRA and has asthma and allergies), we also have children who have diabetes (Starlight Melody), cerebral palsy (Jodie, Todd, and Lightning), mental retardation (Robertito, and also Todd and Jodie), vision impairments (Dianna and also Sun-Hee, Elise, and Johnny), hearing impairments (Mario, Benjamin, and also Johnny), missing limbs (Anh Kim--he had cancer at the age of six, and he is presently fighting a second round of cancer and seems to be doing very well at the moment--, Enriguesa, and Deborah), dwarfism (Enriquesa; she was born a little person), epilepsy (Michael, Gemini, and also Jodie and Johnny), autism (Sergei; he isn't as severely affected, but he still has it; he is what they call "high functioning" autistic), heart problems (Kwame' and also Robertito), and paralysis (Andre' and Deborah; Andre' is post polio, and Deborah was born with spina bifida). But even with all the problems they may face as a result of their obvious (or even not so obvious) disabilities, our children are all happy, productive, and integral parts of the community and within our family unit. They do not let their handicaps get them down, and they have taught others the meaning of courage and determination.
Our children come from a variety of places: the United States of America, Canada, Russia (Siberia), Africa (Kenya), the Middle East (Iran), Asia (China, Korea, Malaysia, India, and Vietnam), South and Central America (Guatemala) and Mexico, and Europe (Germany, Russia, Bosnia-Hergozovina, and the Netherlands). Each needed a home or a family, and they all came to be one family through adoption. Even though they may be from different racial or ethnic backgrounds, they are now one, and they are now brothers and sisters; and they have now become one single (if slightly large) family!
We feel that God has blessed us with these children because He knew we wanted a big family, but our own three biological children died, two while still very young babies. He knew we were sad and understandably heartbroken, so He brought children like Johnny, Sun-Hee, Ronee', and Kwame' into our lives; and we have been tremendously blessed ever since. Our children bring us nothing but joy and hope, and each day with them is a groundbreaking adventure. We can't wait to see what life brings forth next for our children, and life with them is certainly never dull or boring!
In fact, our lives are made richer because of our children, and we have been fortunate to have met other adoptive families who took cues from us and adopted special-needs children, families from Tennessee (the Reichards and Diamonds; in fact, Fred Reichard is a co-worker of my husband's!), the Porters from Oregon, the Yanceys from Pennsylvania, the GreyWolfs from Arizona, the Terwiligers from Georgia, the Evanses from Ohio, and the Pearsons from Texas (which is the family who adopted our two former Cambodian foster daughters, Hanh Ly and Linn Chan).We met these families through our two primary adoption agencies, Holt and AASK (Aid to the Adoption of Special-Needs Kids), at picnics or adoption seminars; and we are so glad to know that there are others who share our interest in helping children in need of homes, family, or even some love, especially those who are older or are considered "special-needs" because of race or ethnicity, disabling condition, or are part of a sibling group that cannot, for some reason, be separated.
If more people could be more involved in helping a child in need, or undertake something like adoption, then the world would be a much kinder and gentler place; and there wouldn't be so many hurting or "lost" children who wouldn't have otherwise gotten a chance at life. All it takes is a little love and an awful lot of research and common sense and knowledge! Sure, adoption isn't for everyone, but for us, it's the only thing we know, and we are glad to have made some difference in a deserving child's (or teen's) life!
This is indeed a wonderful story. I know it is true that some people do like to adopt children. It is by coincidence that I was just talking with my friend at work this morning, and she told me she had adopted two children from abroad, she's sending money every month, not a lot, but it really helps the children to grow.
I guess if we can't be there for the children physically, we can also be there for them spiritually. Every bit of love they can get from everyone means a lot to them.
I applaud everyone who takes up the responsiblity as parents to children not of their own. This alone is a gift from God.
A well-written piece, Karen. I enjoyed this immensely.
May Lu a.k.a. Sandie Angel :o)
Reviewed by Robert Blackwell
6/27/2003
You've spun another beautiful write, hon. {{{{{{{{{hugs}}}}}}}}} **kotc**
I don'rt know how you keep them all straight either, and all in one family? Wow karen, great write, I enjoyed getting to hear more about the Sandusky's...
God Bless
~Michelle~
i'm glad you can keep em all straight GEEZ what a creative mind you have
absolutely a wonderful addition to the "forever family" series--well done
(((HUGS))) and love,
karla. :)
Reviewed by Dove
6/27/2003
Good morning my sweet,
What compassion of an earth angel in you..keep teaching gods will, his work..His spirit guides your pen, sweetie..Love you,
Dove
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My name is Louisiana Sandusky, and my husband, William ("Bill") and myself are the adoptive parents of an unbelievable 50 children.
