Reece's Rainbow

Dave and I have had many a conversation about the size of our family. Truthfully, we would love to have more children of our own, but with my age and because Lily has Trisomy 18, there are never any guarantees that things will go smoothly.

We speak time and time again about adoption. Dave would love more than anything to adopt a child from China, but the price is extremely high. My heart reached out, long before the earthquake, to Haitian children or children in Africa. Then we look here at home and see children in need. If only we could help them all!

After Lily was born, we even considered adopting a child with disabilities and wondered whether or not any with Trisomy 18 were out there. And yes, we know the huge emotional risks involved. And yes, they would be huge. Given the life span, we figured it would be easier to find a baby who had recently been born than to find one who was, say, six months or older. Not that age mattered. . .

A reader of my blog, Lynn, emailed me the other day and shared information about Shaun (see below) with me.

Boy, Born November 2007

This darling little boy is waiting for his forever family. He struggles with significant cleft issues and facial deformities. He also struggles with kidney problems. From his medical records, they indicate that he hasEdwards Syndrome, also known as Trisomy 18. This is quite a challenge, and most children do not survive past birth. We do not know if he has any of the other complications, but he clearly has many of the facial features and cognitive delays.

Maybe there is a super special family out there who will give Shaun a chance to really shine, and be all God intends for him to be! http://reecesrainbow.org/shaun-etkf-region-3

Shaun is almost four years old and living with Trisomy 18 in an orphanage! According to Lynn, Shaun lives in Eastern Europe and, because of his age, is in danger of being put in a mental institution where care is inadequate and mortality is high.

Doing a little more searching, I learned about the organization that sponsors him, Reece's Rainbow. This organization helps find homes (and helps cover the costs) for children, nationally and internationally, with Down Syndrome. They also reach out to children with HIV. Apparently, there are a few T-18 and T-13 children on their list as well.

Unfortunately, we're just not at a place where adoption is an option. With Soleil being so young, we would like to give her her baby years. But this is so tempting. I never realized the sheer number of children with Down Syndrome in need of adoption.

So, I reach out to you readers. Perhaps there is someone out there who hears this calling. Maybe this is the post that solidifies something you've been grappling with. I'll admit, having a child with a disability is not easy, but the joy that comes from that moment-to-moment living is exponential. And that could be yours.