Long lines for medial checks
This morning I got up and read the news and felt discouraged. I just saw so much that deeply concerns me and I was in a small funk as I began the day but something in my day changed all that.
We are now in Guangzhou staying at the Swan Hotel. This hotel and island are famous because all adoptive families have to come here. The U.S. consulate is located here so this is the place to finalize all the paperwork and visas. We headed out this morning to have a medical check. Prior to leaving the country the children all have to be examined by 2 or 3 doctors to determine if they are healthy to travel or if there are any problems.
When we got to the clinic the place was packed. There were at least 40 adoptive families and their children there so I braced for a long day. As things proceeded I had the opportunity to talk to many of the parents and meet their children. It was a chance to brush shoulders with some of the best, most compassionate wonderful people I have ever met. I would say that at least 40% of the children there were special needs, some were severe. I watched these parents in absolute awe. To have a biological special needs child is a daunting task yet I was speechless at these parents who made this choice. Prior to adopting a special needs child from China you receive their picture and full medial history so you come with your eyes wide open as to what you will be dealing with. Here were people all around me who looked at these pictures of these sweet children with sever deformities, abnormalities and physical problems and said, “I choose you”. I was constantly trying to hide my tears as I watched them. The admiration and respect I hold for these people is beyond words. I knew that I was brushing shoulders with some of the most amazing people I will ever meet. As I said before, I believe that love is a choice, these parents made amazing beautiful choices that left me in awe.
We were in and out of the clinic very quickly as my cute little Eve with her pretty bow and little white sweater giving smiles and giggles was healthy and there was no need for further examination. We left parents who would be there a long time with sweet children who will have a lifetime of medical needs. These are the children they chose…..Today I know that angels walk among us.
1 comment:
As I read the post...I had suspected that the foster mother was trying too hard to "show" more than what was really given. The great miracle of children is that they are resilient and past mistakes are easily erased. What a blessing for you to find eachother around the world. We have a family, in our ward, that adopted 6 children 6-10 years old ...at the same time. They went through horrendous suffering at a orphanage in Russian. That was 7 years ago. Although life started out rough, it has been smoothed away with a family that loved and nurtured them.
Thank you for keeping us all so well updated. I love experiencing this with you guys.
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