Today was a very good day. We met with a family that our caseworker introduced us to. They have a biological son, 12 years old, that has cerebral palsy, autism and is legally blind. They have also adopted a son, 4 years old, that has a G-tube as the result of intestinal problems.
We pulled up in front of their house, and nervously fixed ourselves as we waited for them to answer, not knowing what to expect. They opened the door to greet us, as did their three big dogs, and we were ushered in. Their home was lovely and well decorated. They were pleasant and friendly and extremely welcoming. We sat at their kitchen table and shared our adoption journey's with each other.
There oldest son was born at 24 weeks, which caused his disabilities. They beamed with pride as they told us about all that he has overcome, the wonderful and sweet boy that he is, and how blessed they feel to have him, just as he is, in their lives. They shared stories of how popular he is at school and how he loves swimming and roller coasters.
They decided to add another child to their family through adoption and waited a long time to find the right child. They decided not to go for a "normal, healthy" child, because there are so many kids in the foster system with medical issues who won't get adopted, because too many people are intimidated by the idea of it. They said they thought about how they would feel if it was their son on the site, and no one wanted to adopt him because of his disabilities, and how much of who he is people don't see, just by looking at him. It gave me goose bumps to hear them talk about it. I felt inspired.
Their 4 year old son proudly showed us his g-tube and told us all about it. He explained to us that it doesn't hurt at all and said that he uses it to eat. Hailey and Zach were cautiously fascinated by it all. Mom and Dad gave us a demonstration and showed us what his formula looks like, and how his night time set up works. It was really good for us to see and touch the equipment. It helped us to realize that G-tubes are really not as intimidating or scary as we thought they would be. Everything was very user friendly and self explanatory.
We joked and laughed for about an hour before we parted ways. We agreed to keep in touch and get together again soon. It feels good to know we will have them as a resource if we do get our boys.
Today was just what we needed. We needed to see that a family could have joy and stability in spite of disabilities and challenges. They were really no different than any other family I know. If anything, they were stronger, happier, more grateful and more a team, than anyone I've met. It was beautiful. Even if we don't get our boys, I am glad we met the Star family today.
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