The process of adopting a waiting child begins far before you get to the paperwork. Often times it begins with a transformation of your mind. The thought of caring for a child with "special needs" may be frightening at first. Through life's experiences you then realize that bringing a child with a medical diagnosis into your family may not be as scary as it seems. I love hearing people's stories on how they came to that conclusion. Each one is unique and moving.
Once you have decided to add to your family through this route, there will be many more decisions to make. One of the most daunting questions you will face is "What medical conditions are you open to?" You may be asked if you would consider caring for a child with a condition that you never heard of before. We always ask that you discuss these conditions with your doctor. However, there is more to the picture than that. We ask you to explore and find out what it is like to parent a child with one of these conditions from people who actually live it. We ask you to look past the diagnosis and see the heart of a child.
This week we would like to talk about a medical condition that can be very confusing, Thalassemia. Thalassemia is a genetic blood disorder that effects the production of hemoglobin. It is an inherited disease and is not contagious. In some cases children with this condition must have blood transfusions and chelation therapy on a regular basis. Four girls from our Journey of Hope program (Madeline, Caitlyn, Rachel and Tara) have this condition. We will post highlights about each of these girls through out the week. So stay tuned! For now we would like to share with you stories of children with this condition and the families who love them. We would like to thank Love Without Boundaries for their work in putting this video together. Our hats are off to them for all they do for children in need of families.
No comments:
Post a Comment