Meet the Palms! Adam and Carolyn and their kids: Doug, Adam, Veronica, Matthew, Mary, Jack, Regina, Gabriel, and Gemma.
When Adam and Carolyn were married almost seventeen years ago, they knew God was calling them to raise a family, but did not know if they would be able to have biological children. Even before they said, “I do,” they had discussed and joyfully agreed that adoption would be a beautiful way to grow a family. And then Douglas was born exactly ten months after their wedding day, and Adam Blaise two years later. The rapidly growing family was thrilled to learn that a third baby was on the way… only to suffer the heartbreak of miscarriage soon after. Adam and Carolyn began discussing adoption again, and remained open to the possibility, even as God blessed them with three more biological children, Veronica, Matthew, and Mary. When Mary was eight months old, Jack arrived! He was six days old when they welcomed him into their family. It was a private, domestic adoption, and completely unexpected… but Jack was born exactly five years after the due date of the baby they lost.
After adopting Jack, Adam and Carolyn often mused that it would be nice if he were not the only adopted one in the family (although that is a source of pride to him). As his arrival was quickly followed by Regina, Gabriel, and then Gemma, the couple really didn’t have time to pursue it. And then Gemma, only two weeks old, was hospitalized with RSV. She was in ICU for a week, and Carolyn never left her side, while Adam remained at home with the other children. During that time, a nurse checking on little Gemma remarked to Carolyn how sad it is that some tiny babies in that hospital have no one to stay with them and pray for their recovery; one little fellow with Down Syndrome was in the cardiac wing at that very moment. His parents, appalled by his Down Syndrome diagnosis, had abused and neglected him; at only a few months old, he was fearful of all people. He was in the hospital for heart surgery, and would not be returning to his parents. That baby’s story got Carolyn thinking about adoption again. Ironically, that very day, Adam was talking to his boss, who has an adult son with Down Syndrome, about the beauty of raising a child with special needs. That day was also the funeral of an eight-year-old boy with Down Syndrome, adopted from Poland by friends of theirs, whose brief little life touched so many others. Clearly, God was sending Adam and Carolyn a message.
First things first; Gemma needed to recover, which she did! And the Palms needed a bigger house before the family grew any larger. Now that Gemma is a happy, healthy one-year-old, and the family is settled in a more spacious abode, the time has come to fulfill the adoption dream again. The Palms are blessed to have dear friends who recently adopted three children with Down Syndrome from Eastern Europe, and are helping them through the process. Adam, Carolyn, and the kids are all eagerly preparing their hearts and home to welcome the newest family member!
4/5/2021 — HOMESTUDY COMPLETE
