“We know that all things work for good for those who love God, who are called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28
We are Laura and Steve. We just celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary and can count 5 children – Peter (19), John Paul (14), Teresa (11), Katherine (9) and Benedict (6) – among the blessings of our marriage. As our youngest child, Benedict, started Kindergarten last year, it became clear to us that we had reached a point where we could readily open our home to welcome another child. Just the previous year, friends of ours had brought home a beautiful baby girl with Down Syndrome. They shared that they were the only parents to present for this sweetbaby girl; no one else stepped forward to adopt this child. Was there another child out there that needed a family? Together, we realized that we could be a family like them. We set out on the path to adopt a child with special needs like Down Syndrome.
Although we have 5 biological children, Laura has Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, which led to 2 miscarriages between our first two sons and has contributed to secondary infertility in our marriage. While we had hoped to expand our family past our 5 living children, we have simply been unable to. However, we are surrounded by generous families that have adopted children with special needs like Down Syndrome, so it was easy to follow their example and retrace their steps. Perhaps, we too could enrich our family with another child and give that child a lot of love, attention and care! We haven’t had to wait long to find out – around 6 months only! We first heard about a baby girl with Down Syndrome in June. She has been in the hospital since birth, and her birth parents have discerned that their geographic area lacks a lot of the supports that would be beneficial for a child with Down Syndrome. Further, the baby will require on-going surgeries, treatments and therapies. While her birth parents feel ill-equipped to provide a host of resources, we are uniquely positioned in Wisconsin with an excellent Children’s Hospital and an abundance of resources for children with Down Syndrome. Further, Laura is a stay-at-home mom with her other children in school, so she has the time and energy to invest in this baby girl’s needs. Currently, we have been matched with this little bundle of joy and are awaiting placement.
We believe that this adoption will cost us about $40,000. We currently have $30,000 in place for adoption expenses from our savings; of that amount, we have already spent $10,000. This leaves $10,000 to fundraise hopefully half through a grant and there remaining here. We know that God has a plan for this precious little one… and for us as we prepare to welcome her. Thank you for your consideration.
