 |
Thank you for your generous gift of life and love! |
Hello Reece’s Rainbow community! We’re the Suero family and we’re incredibly excited, and slightly shocked, to be adopting internationally again! We (Danny and Rachel) have been married for 11 years and have 6 amazing children we’re so proud to be raising: Isaac (13), Jonah (9), Oliver (8), Lily (7), Ivy (5), and Simon (2). Isaac and Lily came home from Ukraine in October 2020 thanks in large part to Reece’s Rainbow. At that time we only had Jonah, Oliver, and Ivy at home. Simon was born just 3 months after returning to the US from Ukraine.
A little background on our adoptions: In early 2020, I (Rachel) came across Lily’s profile on the Reece’s Rainbow and knew instantly that she was meant to join our family. Thankfully, after a few days of prayer and worry, I worked up the nerve to show Lily’s profile to Danny and quite unexpectedly, he felt the exact same way about her as I did! That same day we applied to our agency and hit the ground running to race to our girl. We joined the Reece’s Rainbow Facebook page early on in the process for support and it was there that something even more unexpected happened. I saw an advocacy post of a little boy who I just knew we had to try to bring home. Amazingly, Danny felt the same way about him and we were able to get the approval to bring both children home at the same time. Isaac was 10 and Lily was 4 at the time. We both had always been open to adoption, but not to children with profound medical needs, children who would never be independent, or children needing total care. We can sincerely say that advocacy WORKS because Isaac had been listed as a waiting child for over 7 years, but all it took was someone sharing his profile one more time, and for us to see that one short little video of him to change all of our ideas and plans and hopes. We never would have looked at the older boy category at that time, and without seeing that video, we likely wouldn’t have felt the connection to him that we did. We’re so thankful that his advocates didn’t give up on him and that Reece’s Rainbow listed both of our children to begin with. Beyond that, we were able to fundraise thanks to the Family Sponsorship Program which helped us afford the travel expenses needed to bring our little ones home. We remain so grateful to everyone who helped support us in adopting Isaac and Lily.
We thought that may be the end of the adoption journey for us, but a couple months ago our good friend shared the profile of a 2 year old little boy in Bulgaria with us. He had almost identical needs to Isaac and looked so incredibly similar to him that friends and family thought it was simply a photo of our son as a toddler. We had just recently moved to a new state and also experienced a heartbreaking miscarriage, and various significant health issues had plagued our family as well. It didn’t appear to be the most ideal timing, but we knew we had to consider him. Very sadly, we learned that this little boy is nearing the very end of his life and is completely unable to travel or even safely leave his orphanage. Our hearts broke for him, and we ask everyone who reads this to say a prayer for this precious boy. This experience really caused us to evaluate our plans and to evaluate if we felt we could proceed with an international adoption again. We realized that we could, and that we really wanted to, so we signed on with our agency and officially began the process to adopt a waiting child from Bulgaria. It was at this point that we ended up applying for a different waiting child. There were a few families who applied and in the end a different family was chosen. Again, our hearts broke, but also celebrated that in this case, a child will make it home to a loving family. We continued moving forward, and now we are pursuing another waiting child. We can’t wait to be able to share exactly who we’re adopting! Each one of us is incredibly excited to welcome our newest family member home and we’re doing everything possible to move quickly. Every day a child waits for a family is a day too long. We are so thankful for all of the encouragement we’ve received so far, and want everyone to know just how much every single kind word, prayer, and dollar donated means. It all matters and it all means so much to us. Thank you for considering helping our family on this journey however you may be able to!
Feel free to follow along on our Facebook adoption group!
8/25/2023 — AWAITING USCIS APPROVAL & OFFICIALLY MATCHED
The Suero family has a matching grant of $2500! When their FSP total reaches $2984, an additional $2500 will be added for them!
The Anderson-Hansen family, Charlie, Liz and their six children (Ethan, Savanna, Nikita, Abby, Emmeline and Cameron) are on a new adoption journey! They adopted their son, Cameron, from DCF in 2021 and Nikita (RR “Bert”) from Ukraine in 2021. Charlie and Liz are both registered nurses. Charlie is a travel nurse who works in the ICU and Liz is a nurse for a group home agency for adults with intellectual disabilities. Liz has always had the heart for adoption and was thrilled when she met Charlie and realized that his heart also led him to adopt. After scrolling through Reece’s Rainbow for years and finding their son, Nikita, they finished their adoption in 9 months! Their son, Nikita, has multiple medical needs including cerebral palsy. Within the month they arrived home, they found so much joy in raising Nikita that they thought “what if we adopt just one more?”. As everyone knows… famous last words in the world of adoption! In Feb 2022, they signed and paid commitment fees for another Ukraine adoption and just days later, they got the devastating news that Ukraine was at war. They waited for a year for adoptions to reopen, when they saw a picture of their soon-to-be daughter in a completely different country! They are now in process with another Eastern European country to bring home their child. They have been soft-matched and are working hard to complete this adoption quickly and efficiently. They are so thankful and blessed for the village that has grown around them and their children and would love to have everyone along on their next journey!
7/21/2023 — COMPILING DOSSIER
The Anderson-Hansen family has met their matching grant!
Hello, We are the Pedersen’s from beautiful Utah. Welcome and thank you for taking the time to get to know us. We are adopting a beautiful girl and boy in Haiti.
Wil and Heather have been married for 17 years. They met at Snow College in Ephraim Utah. Wil was Heather’s neighbor across the way. They fell in love and that is where our journey began.
William was in the Army Reserves for 24 years he recently retired in 2022. He has lovingly and proudly served his country serving 2 deployments to Kuwait/Qatar for 1 1/2 years. And another one year deployment to Iraq. Wil works full time at a local cheese plant. He loves to adapt the children’s toys so they are easier for them to play with. They are his buddies and they love to help their dad.
Heather is a stay at home mother. She has a health care and child care background. Motherhood is where her heart called. Heather loves homeschooling the kids and watching them grow and shine as they learn. She also is very gifted at keeping our family organized which, when you have several special needs children you need that.
We are also crazy animal people. We feed feral cats and help to get them fixed and vaccinated to be able to live a happier healthier life. We have helped with a few rescues fostering dogs. In 2014, our hearts called us to Hopes Rescue based out of Ogden, Utah as a hospice foster home for dogs. Heather also does most all their media. Our sweet fur children helped fill a hole in our hearts as we looked and waited for our children.
Our journey to have a family started in 2007. After just a few visits, we learned that with Wils infertility and Heather’s the chances of them conceiving were slim to none. We could try IVF but due to Heather’s uterine malformation they would only implant with one egg at a time. After much thought and prayer. We decided to build our family by adoption. We have been blessed with 3 children through adoption. And our hearts are now pulling us to a little girl and boy in Haiti.
Our oldest Erik is 8 we adopted him at birth from Arizona as a domestic adoption. His list of diagnosed is topped with severe Bilateral Schizencephaly—having only 20% of his brain, spastic quad cerebral palsy, epilepsy, peters anomaly, vision and hearing impairment, gtube dependence and many more. He has many complex medical needs and will be a full care his entire life. Erik doesn’t let his diagnoses stop the love or joy he freely gives to his family. Erik is completely the sunshine of our lives. He is full of character and charm. He loves to help around the house, whether it be cooking, cleaning or helping dad fix things. He is the worlds bestest BIG brother, he loves to snuggle, hold hands and comfort his siblings or sit and hoot and holler chatting away at them. He’s excited to have a BIG sister and see what it’s like to be a little brother. As well as have a new little brother to dote over!!
Our daughter Aliza is forever 4 she gained her wings in 2020 on her fourth birthday. She was and is our little sparkling princess we miss her so very much. We adopted her at 3 months old from a nursing home. Her doctors ordered hospice because they carried no hope that she would thrive with only a brain stem. Aliza was a sassy, smart, beautiful little girl. She loved doing art projects and snuggling particularly her daddy. She was a daddy’s girl through and through. She always had a little stuffed friend or doll and never left the house without earrings. We know she is watching over our beautiful princess and prince in Haiti while we work towards bringing home her sister and brother.
Our youngest, Ian is 2 he is our darling little rainbow after our very hard storm of losing our princess. We adopted him at 3 months old from Arkansas. Ian got caught in the birth canal and was without oxygen long enough to cause 80% brain damage. He too has a long list of diagnoses. Despite all those he is our giggly goose and wild child. He loves to be tickled and would snuggle 24/7. He has brought so much joy and laughter to our home. He loves to snuggle his BIG brother and hold his hand or arm. They sit and chat away with each other all day long. It’s really quite adorable. Ian is excited to have a BIG sister, and another BIG brother he was glad he was going to still be the baby of the family lol.
“Aerodynamically, the bumble bee shouldn’t be able to fly, but the bumble bee doesn’t know it so it goes on flying anyway.” -Mary K ash.
Just like the bumblebee our children shouldn’t be doing a lot of things, including living they are true miracles!! That’s why we as a family, BEE-lieve in the impossible!!
Many say Erik, Aliza, and Ian are blessed to have us. But truly it is the other way around. They have filled a hole in our hearts that was so very empty. All 3 are/were medically complex. We love them so very much they are our greatest blessings. We know our beautiful stars across the sea will be no different.
As our family is now journeying into international waters towards Haiti. To bring home our missing pieces to our family. They both have significant medical needs, but both are absolutely perfect in every single way. With a smiles that will melt your heart. We would be so honored to have you on this journey to help bring them home. Your donation would help our family so very much. To bring home our sweet daughter and son quickly home to get the medical care they so desperately need as well as into a loving home they both have waited so very long for.
8/8/2023 — AWAITING USCIS APPROVAL
Shelby has always loved working with children. From a very early age, she knew she wanted nothing more than to be a mom. When she was a preteen, there was a little girl with special needs in her church, and every once in a while Shelby would be asked to hold her while her grandmother sang a special. That’s when she grew a special place in her heart for kids with special needs. Though that particular child did not have Down syndrome, Shelby felt a strong tug on her heart to one day adopt a child with Down syndrome from around that age.
A dear friend, who Shelby only knew via the internet, had posted the Reece’s Rainbow profile page of a little girl with Down syndrome. Once Shelby clicked the link, she knew she was brought there for a reason. Shelby could not adopt at the time, but she discovered a deep love for advocating for these children and for the families adopting them. She continued to advocate for many years, hoping that one day, she would be on that journey to bring her own child home. She nannied and worked in a PRTF, researched and reached out to families to learn from their experiences. She did anything to take steps to prepare for the child who would one day come into her home.
Gaining strength from God through an ectopic pregnancy and a messy divorce, she picked herself back up and continued to work towards that goal. On Christmas day, 2021, covid struck hard. Shelby was in the hospital being rushed to ICU to be put on a vent, and wondered if that was the end for her. God saw her through, and she truly believes she’s still here for a reason. The calling that God laid on her heart a long time ago was more pressing than ever, and she asked herself, “Why not now?” With her supportive nanny job boss/friend, she took the first baby-step, and just kept stepping away. With your help (thanks, so much, by the way), she is baby-stepping all the way to bringing her baby home. She can’t help but feel that that dear friend who shared Reece’s Rainbow with her, all those years ago, and has since passed on to be with the Lord in Heaven, would be loving watching this all unfold. If you can’t adopt, advocate…it really does make a difference.
9/18/2023 — USCIS APPROVED
Mike and Amber Lally have been married for 15 years. They and their 5 children – Grace (14), Keira (14), Finnegan (10), Levi (9) and Gabriella (4) – are very excited to grow their family even more through international special needs adoption. They have been very active in the Delaware foster and adoption community for many years. The Lallys have fostered over 15 children for various lengths of time, and were blessed to adopt three of their kids through foster care. Each adoption required stepping out in faith and reliance on the Lord, but each has been an abundant blessing. Mike is a solutions architect for Amazon Web Services. Amber is a homeschool mom and actively involved in the local homeschool community.
Adoption and foster care were an important point of focus for Mike and Amber before they were even married. During their dating years, they both knew it was a calling, but trusted that the Lord would guide the specific path. After having Grace and Finnegan, the call to foster and adoption grew increasingly strong. While international adoption felt overwhelming at that time, they sought to help as many children as possible through the domestic foster care system. Yet, there was always a yearning to help the most vulnerable children in need abroad, and the Lallys frequently visited Reece’s Rainbow and a number of international special needs adoption Facebook groups to pray for the children in need and the families seeking to adopt them.
In November of 2021, now blessed with six children and after having loved and a number of special needs foster children in their home, Amber approached Mike about a specific child that God had placed on her heart. The 10 year old girl was in India and had been on Reece’s Rainbow for a number of years without a match. The Lallys talked and prayed about it, and in December of 2021 decided to reach out in faith toward that child. It has been almost a year since that day, and the Lally family is nearly complete with CARA registration. They just completed the apostille process, and are finalizing the I800A. The entire family is now focused on fundraising for the next steps of the process, and praying daily with their family and friends for God’s love and guidance.
The Lally family has met their $2500 MATCHING GRANT!!
3/13/2023 — AWAITING USCIS APPROVAL; OFFICIALLY MATCHED
Ryan and Jamie Noll have been married for nearly 20 years! They grew up in the same neighborhood, and dated for three years before a year-long engagement; he proposed on the infamous covered bridge in Frankenmuth, Michigan. They home school their five daughters and one son – Jadyn (16), Evalynn (14), Raieyn (11), Loushyn (9), Gwendelyn (5), and Gaebrielle (3). Ryan is the field supervisor for a pump company, and Jamie coaches roller skating. The family all pitches in with their small hobby “farm” of chickens, ducks, turkeys, peacocks, rabbits, cats, dogs, and horses, as well as a couple guinea pigs and lizards, and some turtles and fish.
The pregnancy of their sixth child was used to radically change the family’s life. After the baby cried and took her first breath, proving the expectations of most wrong, the family continued to be challenged. During one of the baby’s many hospitalizations, Jamie learned that children like her new daughter were sometimes abandoned in the local hospital due to complex medical needs. She knew then that special needs adoption would be a part of her family’s future; Ryan was not so sure.
Months after that particular hospitalization, a seven-week critical care stay for Gaebrielle, when the special needs adoption seed was planted for the Noll family, an orphan was placed on Jamie’s heart through one of her online support groups for moms of children with arthrogryposis. Since Ryan still was not ready, he agreed to pray for the child with Jamie. She appeared to age out of eligibility, which caused Jamie to grieve heavily. The grieving was used to connect her with people in the Reece’s Rainbow community, where she discovered another family who was ready to adopt the child who had appeared to age out. Then, another child was placed on her heart. Ryan still was not ready so they prayed.
In December 2021, Ryan finally said they could take the next step toward a child in India. Jamie was delighted, again, at God’s provision, and started the process immediately. Because the Noll’s have a “large” family, their agency suggested they wait until another family with similar familial circumstances get to the next step before the Noll’s officially started. Four weeks later, they were given the go ahead. They wasted no time during those four weeks, having already begun the paperwork for their home study, which is nearing completion. They also submitted the first set of documents for their international agency, as well the first fee to accompany it. They are currently working toward CARA registration.
The entire Noll family has been involved in the adoption, as well as their loved ones and community — fundraisers, donations, notarizations, flexibility in appointments, and PRAYERS. They are looking forward to bringing home a new daughter who will make their only son the official middle child.
12/10/2022 — AWAITING OFFICIAL MATCH!
Isabella knew that one day she would grow her family through adoption, when she was a young girl watching Adoption Stories on TV. Though she never imagined ever going the route of international special needs adoption, until she was introduced to Reece’s Rainbow.
She saw a social media post of a single mom adopting a little girl with Down syndrome from Bulgaria. At the time many things went against her being able to start the process. So she spent the next 5 years researching, donating, and supporting other families in process and waiting for the moment to be able to start the process herself. The day she has been praying for has finally come and she is so excited. She is hoping to adopt a little girl from Armenia that was once listed on RR before advocating stopped for that country. Knowing that the little girl she first saw and fell in love with is possibly still waiting for a family, she is going full speed and doing everything she can to raise the money needed.
All donations and prayers are appreciated!!!
4/19/2022 — AWAITING USCIS APPROVAL
Meet the Bryant family! Jeremy (40), Patricia (39), Justice (16), Chance (15), Liberty (14), Journey (13), Victory (8). The Bryant family is at it again! Since Jeremy and Patricia were married 18yrs ago, they knew they were meant to adopt. They knew their lives were going to be used to care for orphans. Jeremy and Patricia served in Botswana, Africa as missionaries working in the village of Maun and surrounding areas, serving with the school, the orphan care, church, HIV/Aids ministry, etc. Shortly after arriving, they started their family. After three years there, they returned to the States with their three bio kids, where Jeremy would join the US Army as an active-duty Soldier, and is currently still serving on active duty.
Shortly after his first deployment, both Jeremy and Patricia knew the time had come for them to venture into adoption. Not knowing how, when, where, or anything else, they trusted the Lord would show them what needed to happen and when. The adoption road is a scary road full of ups and downs and twists and turns. But Jeremy and Patricia knew for certain one thing… the Lord had called them to go and adopt. They were saying yes to the Lord’s leading and not backing down. December of 2017, Jeremy and Patricia adopted their 8-year-old daughter, Victory. Then, shortly afterwards, December 2019, they finished their second adoption of their oldest son, Chance Zane. Over the last two years, even through Covid, they’ve watched all 5 of their children blossom into who the Lord wants them to be. They’ve grown in wisdom, knowledge and skill and have grown so deeply together through all the ups and downs.
When they finished that last adoption, they didn’t think they’d be adopting again, but obviously the Lord has different plans and the Bryants, as a family, are all emphatically saying yes one more time to adoption! The adoption of Finley! The really neat part of this is that Jeremy and Patricia Bryant met Finley the same day that they met Victory, 4.5 years ago. At that time, they were in the same baby house orphanage. Since then, they had advocated for him, prayed for him and shared his story with many people. But the time has come. No more waiting and advocating. Finley has been a part of the Bryants in their hearts since the day they met him and it’s time to make him a part of their lives for good. The Bryant family is so excited to gain another son.
1/27/2022 — HOMESTUDY COMPLETE
The Calo family is excited to be expanding their family again via adoption!
Three years ago we hosted two sisters over the Christmas holiday. The connection with the girls was instantaneous, like we had always known each other, so we continued to host them several more times until God allowed us to begin the adoption process to bring them home permanently.
They are already teenagers and have waited their entire lives for a family and we feel like the lucky ones chosen to be theirs.
Our other children ask about their “sisters” daily and we cannot imagine our lives without them. Thank you for your help in bringing them home for good!
9/12/2023 — UPDATING PAPERWORK
Taylor and Celia Marsh have embarked on a journey to bring their son home from Eastern Europe! They currently have 3 precious boys who are so excited to welcome another brother into the family. The Lord began to speak to them during the pandemic in regards to adoption, and led them through dreams and visions to a little boy who is soon to be their son. They have watched God’s affirmations unfold, as they have stepped out in faith. They are confident the Lord has big plans for this little guy!
In 2017, Celia came to know Christ from Atheism. It was an abrupt awakening in their lives and marriage and God continues to do a work in their hearts. It was a year or so later that they began to really feel called into fostering/adopting. While reading the book of James, the conviction remained: “Pure and undefiled religion before God the Father is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself unstained from the world.” This scripture resonated deep within their hearts, and ignited a calling.
As they continue to step out in faith, they are so excited to open their hearts and home to another child. Won’t you come alongside them to bring their son home? You can help by donating to their adoption. Thank you so much for your prayers and support!
12/8/2021 — HOMESTUDY COMPLETE
The Hopkins family has been in process for nearly two years to bring Knox home. As travel to his country is still on hold, due to the COVID pandemic, they pray nightly to bring him home. Because of participating in a recent hosting program, and while they are waiting, they have chosen to embark on a second adoption. They are working hard in anticipation of having both of their children home in 2022.
Roderick and Melissa have been happily married for over ten years and reside in a small town in Illinois with their five wonderful children Adeson (14), Emery (13), Jacob (11), Ella Grace (9) and Casey(7). Four of their five children were adopted internationally, two from China and two from Ethiopia. Rod and Melissa have been committed to adoption, and both they and their extended families have been foster parents, adoptive parents, and advocates for humanitarian and children’s rights. They are also parents to Melissa’s seven children from her first marriage of 17 years Brandon (36), Ryan (deceased), Alex (27), Matthew (26), Sara (22), Emily (19) and Antonio (19), Alex, and Antonio were also adopted, one at age eight and one at age four from Russia and Guatemala. They believe their family is their calling and feel blessed to have had the blessing of family and friends throughout their life journey.
The cost and process of international adoption, while intimidating they believe is far worth the journey. Rod and Melissa believe that completing their family through adoption is the right thing for them and are very excited about bringing home their new son from Asia who they found through Reece’s Rainbow, whom they will call Noah, as well as now a second child from Portugal. If you can help them support their adoption journey, their family would be grateful.
You can also follow their journey at https://www.facebook.com/rockwellhopkinsfamily/
9/29/2022 — AWAITING TRAVEL to CHINA
& AWAITING USCIS APPROVAL for PORTUGAL
In 2013, when Nick and Val said yes to adopting a young boy from Eastern Europe that was being hosted in the US, they never dreamed answering God’s call would impact their lives so much. What they didn’t know was that little boy already had a family pursuing him. After much prayer they decided to continue the adoption journey in Ethiopia. After three successful and life changing adoptions of four children from Ethiopia, they felt the tugging on their heart by the Holy Spirit to adopt again.
The tug they were feeling was to adopt a waiting child. They saw a little girl on Reece’s Rainbow that took their breath away. They started the process to adopt her. Then covid hit, the process with their sweet little girl in China is now on hold.
Val saw a little boy in March from Eastern Europe and her heart skipped a beat. She felt the Lord say to her, “this is your son.” Nick and Val called their agency and asked if they could do concurrent adoptions. Their agency said it was possible but would be hard. Months later God preformed a miracle. They are in the process to bring their sweet son home.
Val and Nick’s heart for adoption started with a sweet little boy from Eastern Europe and now they are heading to that same country to bring their son home. This is only a story God could write❤️!
2/10/2022 — HOMESTUDY COMPLETE
Our family has set out on the journey of adoption. We are so honored and blessed by this chapter in our lives.
We have watched as many families have said yes and have brought so many beautiful children out of orphanages into loving homes. We are so thankful we have the opportunity to provide a home for a waiting child. We are adopting from a non-Hague country and we understand we have no legal hold on the children there.
Please pray for our family as we continue through the adoption process. We are so thankful for those who donate to our adoption and will forever be thankful that your generosity was a precious gift that helped is bring a child home.
7/29/21 — HOMESTUDY COMPLETE
Hello, we are the McChesneys. We have jumped into our seats and buckled up for our next rollercoaster ride to Eastern Europe to adopt up to 3 children. God is Good!! He has kept us mostly humble and patient during these ups and downs or when they change tracks. We have been blessed to ride the special needs’ adoption coaster five times from 2010 to 2017. Looking back, I’m still in awe of how God provided for each adoption. We thought we were done then because our house was bursting at the seams with 3 bio children and 5 adopted. While some kids have reached adulthood (yes, it does happen!), God answered our prayers and provided a new place, a “mansion” the kids called it because it had more bathrooms.
In the adoption world, you never say “we’re done” because God uses just one picture or story to change your mind (maybe longer to change your spouse’s mind) but eventually, you’ll grab your tickets for the next thrill ride. You must have a sense of humor because these adventures will be at times exhausting, but the children are well worth it!!! And we can’t wait to see how God writes this story. We don’t want to miss this. Finding JOY in the Journey. Come be a part of our adventure and Praise God!!!
12/10/2022 — AWAITING USCIS APPROVAL
Hi there! We are the Staley Family. Paul is a Software Developer and SharePoint Administrator and Elizabeth a stay at home mom. Why do we want to adopt? The short answer is that we love being parents and we have the time and love to pour into a couple more kiddos.
The long answer is more complicated and heartbreaking. I personally have always wanted to adopt as long as I can remember. I honestly cannot say how that seed was originally planted there. Our son in law called and asked if we would be interested in adopting a little girl from Ecuador. She was 4 and in a bad situation. We had a big house, time, great insurance and lots of love so of course we said yes. Fast forward a few weeks and many calls to attorneys in both Ecuador and here, this was not even an option. We realized then we had both been really excited about having a new little person and decided we would go forward and adopt anyway. We looked into several adoption programs and chose China. We fit the parameters, the program seemed stable and to be honest we also were dying to see China. I do believe when you choose a country, you should probably love the food and be interested in the culture because you will need to weave this into the rest of your life.
We started out to only adopt one child with an “easy” special need (Its ok to laugh here, we know better now). We signed for a little girl with albinism, but there was also little girl with a big scary special need that I thought about constantly, I stalked her advocacy page and watched as families said no to her file. I asked her advocate a million questions. Then I had dreams about her (until that moment I felt that statement “I just knew” was probably a bunch of crap), but I did just know.
Gabby had tetralogy of fallot and pulmonary atresia, she had significant lung damage from receiving the wrong surgery and poor oxygen saturation (She was in the 60’s). We adopted both girls in an expedited process and it was the trip of a lifetime. We joked that we had the best souvenirs ever. We made it through two open heart surgeries for Gabby and 3 other surgeries in very short order, we lived at the hospital for a month after the first surgery in 2015. Gabby’s vocal cords were damaged in that first surgery. She was placed on thickened liquids. The girls started therapy 6-8 appointments a week right away. We were really crazy busy. Isabella had many bonus special needs we were not expecting but we continued to try different things. Izzy had really endured such an awful time because her SN is seen as a curse. I wish those same people could see my stunningly beautiful girl now who exceeded every single evaluation thus far.
During Gabby’s second open heart surgery (2017) she was diagnosed with a rare (only 64 other cases) case of fungal mediastinitis. I called every other infectious disease team I could find NO ONE had seen it or treated it. I gave her high dose antifungal meds through a picc line every day. Only 40% chance of survival and 0% if it came back, but Gabby is tough and had an unequalled zest for life, so she survived. The thing about Gabby is no matter what was going on she would make you laugh, she could be sick or tired, it didn’t matter. Gabby is a princess superhero with sparkle and sass to spare. She introduced herself to everyone saying “Hi my name is Gabby, what’s your name?” as she shoved out her hand. She never met a stranger. Her laugh is like magic, she is sweet and kind but also brave and fierce. Guess what? Gabby beat the odds and survived!
Izzy and Gabby have had a million adventures together. They are sisters, friends, playmates and partners in crime. Gabby had been asking for another sibling for some time, so Paul and I began to discuss it. We needed Izzy to go through the ABA class (she is autistic) first and hoped she would make some progress. She would begin ABA in October of 2018. We thought we would start another adoption in late summer. We began saving for our adoption in mid-summer of 2018. In late August Gabby got her usual little fever (she has had the same thing at least 100 times), never above 101 but she still wasn’t improving on day 3 so I called the pediatrician, the cardiologist but no one was worried “It’s going around” they said. I was still unsettled and took her to the ER (calling ahead to say I think something is wrong). They were not worried. We were never even triaged. No one was worried until they took her blood. She was admitted and after 4 days passed away on August 29 after having a stent and melody valve placed. She survived the operation but had a massive heart attack and bled out, she never left the OR. Gabby was the light of my life. The fungus had returned, she had been in severe sepsis.
When you lose a child, people say the craziest things to you: People ask “Did you know”, we knew she was sick yes and she deserved a family, the real tragedy would be if we had missed the opportunity to be her parents. It was a gift. Gabby was the sort of person who comes along once in a lifetime. She was worth it. I’m grateful we got to be her parents and grief is truly the price of love, and Gabby is worth every bit of that excruciating pain now.
People say “Be grateful you have other children” right, yes this is true, I do have other children, but I’d love for them to pick one of their children they could live without. It is impossible. They say “At least it wasn’t your biological child” as if somehow we loved Gabby any less because we didn’t share DNA. I loved her with my whole heart and I’d give anything for my Superhero Princess to be here and go on the adoption trip with us, unfortunately no one asked me. Being Gabby’s mom showed me that it is ok to be afraid but still do it anyway. Gabby touched so many lives in her 5 ½ years here on earth, she sure changed everything for our family. People say the adopted child is lucky, but they have absolutely no idea, we are really the lucky ones, we met so many wonderful people, saw amazing sites, celebrated holidays and ate foods we’d have never tried had it not been for adoption.
The best thing is coming in the door and hearing the thundering of little feet running toward you to hug you around the neck with giggles and sticky hands.
We are now matched with a little girl “Stella Mae” with Down Syndrome and hope we can bring her home soon. Izzy is so excited to be a big sister and can’t wait to show her sister the ropes, share the pink Unicorn room and the play area. We can’t wait to have all the family adventures with her!
8/2/2021 — COMPILING DOSSIER
Josh and Emma are beyond excited to complete their family through adoption! They have been married for 18 years and have been blessed with 3 biological children – Eli (age 14), Oliver (age 12), and Nora (age 8). Adoption has been a topic of conversation for their entire marriage and specifically adopting a child with Down syndrome. Emma started volunteering with her local special needs community when she was in high school and quickly introduced Josh to the idea when they started dating. Josh instantly found his love for those with special abilities too. They love to volunteer as a family and try to get involved with any opportunity they can!
Even though Josh and Emma had talked about the possibility of adoption for many years, it was in 2022 after seeing a news article about orphaned children that adoption became urgent. After lots of research, prayers, and a huge leap of faith – adoption is no longer a conversation, it has become a reality!
Josh and Emma both felt drawn to Taiwan and started the extensive paperwork and hours of adoption training. After a year of waiting and praying, they received the file of the sweetest little boy and the whole family fell in love! They are currently waiting for the official match and hope to be able to start preparing the dossier soon. This process has been long and difficult, but they wouldn’t trade it for anything – they know that everything is working out exactly how it should.
The extensive cost of international adoption has been felt throughout this process. Please consider helping the Thurgood family bring their son home. Your financial contribution is greatly appreciated!
7/12/2023 — HOMESTUDY COMPLETE
The Thurgood family has met their matching grant of $2500!
High school sweethearts, Matthew and Tanya knew early on in their relationship that one day when they started a family they wanted to adopt in addition to having biological children. They had no idea that they would face many years of secondary infertility following the birth of their two daughters, suffering multiple miscarriages, including a devastating loss at 16 weeks. They were caught in an awful cycle of hope and loss for over 10 years before discovering embryo adoption with their youngest.
It was then they learned the reason for their infertility struggles, a clotting disorder that only affects pregnancy and requires blood thinners to carry to term. Armed with this knowledge, they became pregnant with their youngest; a pregnancy that required over 700 injections of blood thinning medication, and Tanya still suffered a massive clot that caused an abruption at 35 weeks. Thankfully, their son was delivered safely, but they knew that carrying future children would be too risky.
As they watched their youngest grow, they longed for more children, and revisited their initial dreams of adoption. It was then they knew this was the path their family was meant to take and they knew in their hearts that they wanted to adopt a child with special needs. Within weeks of deciding to proceed, they fell in love with not one but three amazing little boys from Bulgaria, each with significant special needs who’ve waited far too long for a family to call their own.
International adoption is a lengthy and expensive undertaking, particularly when multiplied by three little ones with significant special needs. All three boys will need surgical intervention upon arriving home and the Acquaire Family is working as fast as they can to bring their new sons home so they can receive the medical care and love they are so deserving of. They are so incredibly grateful and honored to have you accompany them on this incredibly journey as they grow their family once more.
International adoption is a lengthy and expensive undertaking, particularly when multiplied by three little ones with significant special needs. All three boys will need surgical intervention upon arriving home and the Acquaire Family is working as fast as they can to bring their new sons home so they can receive the medical care and love they are so deserving of. They are so incredibly grateful and honored to have you accompany them on this incredibly journey as they grow their family once more.
9/19/2023 — AWAITING USCIS APPROVAL
Gary and Denise Davis have advocated and adopted through Reece’s Rainbow for Seventeen years. Reece’s Rainbow not only assisted the Davis Family with their adoptions in fundraising but help in making their dreams cone true.
Gary and Denise together have six biological children and ten adopted special needs children. In this family there is not a shortage of love. Family members are there for one another both through the good days but also the bad.
Daily prayers are being said. But so many sleepless nights and tears. Through a Leap of Faith our hearts chose to follow one’s faith. This particular adoption is one that was not an easy one but one build by Faith. Several years of document preparations, updates and delays. The hardest of obstacles is a war that brought many losses and uncertainties.
Our Family ask for your daily prayers but also your generosity.
9/14/2023 — USCIS APPROVED
CONTACT
Reece's Rainbow
PO Box 146
Combined Locks, WI 54113
CLICK HERE to contact us.
Your questions will be directed to the appropriate team member.
PO Box 146
Combined Locks, WI 54113
CLICK HERE to contact us.
Your questions will be directed to the appropriate team member.
