Because every family deserves the blessing of a child with Down Syndrome...

ALLYSEN & BELLA for the Edwards family — VA

In 1998, Sharon and Bill Edwards gave birth to a little girl with Down syndrome. Her name was Sarah, and while she would not understand it, her precious innocence and beautiful personality melted away the anxiety and fear that her mom and dad had anticipated throughout the pregnancy. The desire to adopt had been with her parents for many years, but because of Sarah, another purpose became clear. So many beautiful children like Sarah, for reasons beyond their control, might never know the joy of parents and family that she knew. Not only was Sarah about to impact her parents decision to adopt, she was the inspiration that helped them consider adopting children with Down syndrome. In 2001, Sharon and Bill adopted a girl of 16 months with Down syndrome from Ukraine. Her name is Caroline, and she and Sarah are inseparable. Then in 2003, they adopted Claire, a three month old girl with Down syndrome. In 2004, they adopted a 4 year old girl with special needs from Russia. They then adopted 4 other children domestically. When their last adoption was finalized in 2007, they thought they had finished, but in January of 2011, the desire to adopt again began to grow in Sharon, but with 10 children at home, 3 biological and 7 adopted, she wasn’t sure Bill would feel the same. Sharon stumbled upon Reece’s Rainbow, and seeing all of the beautiful children, started praying about adopting again. Finally, during the summer, she spoke with Bill about it and was surprised he was open to the idea. After much prayerful consideration, they decided to bring another child into their family. All of their children are supportive and excited about having a new sister. On Christmas Eve, they saw Allysen on Reece’s Rainbow, and knew she was the child for them.