Woodrow

Boy, Age: 10
Country Code: LA-4
Primary Diagnosis: Blind / VI, Cerebral palsy
Microcephaly, Cerebral palsy, Optic Nerve Atrophy
Listed: Sep 2023
$507.00
has been donated towards the cost of my adoption, including $147.00 from MACC donations!

Your gift will serve ALL of the children, as 10% of each Waiting Child Donation is shared with our Voice of Hope fund, as well!
Woodrow can sit up independently and will sometimes kneel as well. He occasionally bears weight on his feet, but cannot put his feet completely flat and because his ankles are so tight. He would need surgery before being able to do so. Woodrow doesn’t really scoot or crawl, but he can still make his way across a room by rolling and wiggling.

Woodrow loves to eat and gets quite upset if meal time is late. He doesn’t self feed, but eats pureed food by mouth. It can be a messy affair, but he is quite satisfied when he is done. Woodrow drinks some with a sippy cup or water bottle, but also likes to drink from a regular cup if he is feeling particularly thirsty.

Woodrow is not a fan of bath time and tends to move around a lot as he tries to keep his caregiver from bathing him, particularly his face and head. He is very picky about people touching his head – sometimes he likes a good head massage and other times he will duck away from anyone who tries to touch his head at all. He also does not like anyone touching his face, especially to try and wipe it off after a meal or to brush his teeth. The one exception he sometimes makes is for his caregiver to kiss his cheeks and neck, which he occasionally greets with a big smile.

In the past, Woodrow would often cry and thrash inconsolably for long periods at a time no matter what his caregivers tried. Some changes with medications have helped him drastically. He still does not sleep on a regular schedule, but if he’s awake during the night, he is generally calm, sometimes quiet and sometimes “talking” with his little noises.

Woodrow really likes his feet and will often clap them together. He also uses his feet to protect his head which he hits repeatedly for sensory input. Woodrow does not do a lot of purposeful movement with his hands, but often wrings them.

Woodrow goes to physical therapy and attends a special education class every day. He likes to be pushed around in his wheelchair and enjoys going in the swing.

Woodrow is a ticklish guy and will often reward tickles with a smile. While he is not generally a cuddler, he sometimes enjoys being held and cuddled and will lean in to relax.

Progress with Woodrow has been slow, but he is learning and responding. We continue to pray that he would know that he is safe, loved and treasured. We also pray that a brave and bold family would step forward to pursue his adoption. He is worth it.

Ryan

Boy, Age: 7
Country Code: LA-4
Primary Diagnosis: Arthrogryposis
Congenital zika, Microcephaly, Arthrogryposis, Club Foot
Listed: Mar 2023
$325.50
has been donated towards the cost of my adoption, including $115.00 from MACC donations!

Your gift will serve ALL of the children, as 10% of each Waiting Child Donation is shared with our Voice of Hope fund, as well!
Ryan is a cute 6-year-old boy, very nice and calm. He can’t see well which makes him very attentive to noise and he has developed a great ability to identify all the sounds he hears.

He likes music, likes to hear the sound of other children playing near him and it makes him smile. He likes to be cradled, and to have his head stroked. He doesn’t like to cry very much, he only cries when he is sick, or when he needs a little attention.

In therapy, he works on range of motion and stretching to prevent further contractures of his limbs, to turn his head to the right, since he tends to lean his head to the left, and to improve functional use of his arms and hands. At school, he uses sensory material and adapted activities to help him develop his academic abilities.

Florence

Girl, Age: 8
Country Code: LA-4
Primary Diagnosis: Cerebral palsy
Spastic Cerebral Palsy, g-tube
Listed: Jan 2021
$5,765.00
has been donated towards the cost of my adoption, including $170.00 from MACC donations!

Your gift will serve ALL of the children, as 10% of each Waiting Child Donation is shared with our Voice of Hope fund, as well!
Florence is a beautiful, smiley and easy going girl! She thrives with her title of Princess in her foster home.

Florence is nonverbal but uses other ways to communicate. She smiles and arches when she is happy and will cry when she is in pain, hungry or sad. For example, she usually gets sad if others go on a walk and she thinks she’s not going to go. She likes when you give her simple yes/no questions like which outfit she wants to wear for the day. At school, she has been working on different ways to communicate like using an eye gaze program to speak through a dynavox or trying to use her hand to choose answers.

Florence has a g-tube. In the past, she has eaten meals blended by mouth. Her g-tube was used to give her medicine and water. However, currently she is being fed all food and water via her g-tube as her caregivers are assessing what is safe for her. There are not swallow studies available in her home country so it is a little bit challenging to figure out what is best for her. Her diet is being supplemented with a mix of complan, a powdered-milk nutritional supplement, and real food blends. She is doing well. Also, she does take muscle relaxing medication to help with her spasticity.

Her personality has started to shine through even more so. She likes to laugh. She thinks her friends that do silly things are really funny and often they make her snort when laughing a lot.

She attends therapy four times a week currently for stander time, stretching and exercises. The therapists always say she doesn’t complain unless it is a day where she is clearly uncomfortable before she comes.

Florence enjoys being held by her people and especially when they sing to her or dance with her. Even though she cannot talk, she interacts well with her friends in her foster home! Such a joyful, sweet girl she is.

Robert

Boy, Age: 10
Country Code: LA-4
Primary Diagnosis: Global developmental delays
global developmental delay, microcephaly
Listed: Apr 2019
**** I am eligible for a $5000 Older Child Grant ****
Grant funds depend on available funding; the link above, shows the current available amount!
To inquire about this child, email childinquiry@reecesrainbow.org ***
Updated bio from Feb 2023:
Robert is much more easy going and independent now. He’s made a lot of progress in the last couple of years! He’s honestly such a happy boy who loves people, hugs, and music. He’s quite good at taking selfies on cell phones too.

He loves to play on his own, not in a way that he doesn’t play with others but meaning he doesn’t need someone to entertain him. He builds with magnetic tiles and enjoys creative play with his dolls/stuffed animals. Sometimes he sets up his stuffed animals and babies to pretend to feed them or do school. Other nights he’s hanging his sheet across the room to make a hammock swing. He makes his foster family laugh a lot!

He’s independent with getting dressed, showering, changing his sheets and etc. Occasionally, accidents at night but they are few and far between. He eats and drinks on his own but he doesn’t chew well. He could use OT for this.

He is such a kind helper and aware of routines or tasks needing to be done. For example, if his foster mom is getting another child ready, without prompting, he will go get clothes and socks/shoes for them too.

He LOVES his big bike! 3 years ago he was scared of a bike but now he rides around on his 24inch bike, no problem! He enjoys jumping on the trampoline and going on walks. He is still drawn to trees and shadows for sensory input.

He may cross his arms and refuse to cooperate. Sometimes shakes his head or cries. This used to happen frequently but it is not frequent anymore. We can work through it much easier now though. He mostly does it when he is trying to express something he needs/wants or doesn’t want. So he is using it to try to communicate where his speech is limited. He makes noises or talks with the handful of phrases he can say. He is learning to expand his vocabulary.

His natural response used to be to run when he was scared but very rarely does he do that now too. For example, medical appointments were always difficult for him, needing days to prepare ahead. Now he is fine to go and doesn’t need much prepping.

He’s such a joy to live with and he would flourish even more in a family!

School update: Robert loves school! He is such a fun student to have because he is excited about everything he does, and other kids too. He is constantly cheering for himself or for his friends and wanting to help them out in any way! He has transitioned to a full day of school easily.

He is very good at sorting. He can match or sort any colors, letters, and numbers. He has delays but we are continuing to work with him. He likes sensory play like kinetic sand, shaving cream, and water beads.

He has so much potential to learn so many things if he were to have access to more services!

Lollie

Girl, Age: 12
Country Code: LA-4
Primary Diagnosis: Epilepsy/ seizure disorder
Siezures; other undiagnosed issues
Listed: Jan 2014
**** I am eligible for a $5000 Older Child Grant ****
Grant funds depend on available funding; the link above, shows the current available amount!
To inquire about this child, email childinquiry@reecesrainbow.org ***
Update October 2022: Lollie is a sweet, easy going 11 year old that has been waiting for a family since she was a baby. She has CP, CVI, and epilepsy well controlled with medication. She doesn’t have purposeful movement in her body and it is very difficult to know exactly how much she can see so it is very difficult to tell exactly how much she understands. She has preferences of what she likes to do, but doesn’t really ever get upset or cry unless she is in pain. Her favorite things to do are sensory input activities like going for walks and in a bike trailer on bumpy roads, and using the sensory materials at school. In therapy she is working on range of motion and other stretches to help her muscles be less tight. Recently her contractures have gotten a lot worse and she has had some other skeletal issues like a dislocated hip, and getting pressure sores a lot easier. She is a joy to be around and is loved by all her caregivers! She would thrive in a family! Lollie has videos on request.

Updated August 2019: Lollie is a sweet girl who is almost always happy. She is adored by everyone she meets, and has been the favorite in our house since she arrived! Her favorite thing to do is go for walks and car rides on bumpy roads. When she is happy her laugh can be heard from quite a long way off! The only thing that makes her mad is standing in her stander at therapy. Her nannies love to dress her up and fix her hair. She has a vision impairment, and does not have a lot of purposeful movement.

In school she is working on responding to different stimulation and focusing her eyes on one object at a time, and at therapy she is doing range of motion stretches, standing, and several other things.

Frederick

Boy, Age: 14
Country Code: LA-4
Primary Diagnosis: Global developmental delays
low muscle tone and has been diagnosed with developmental delays
Listed: Aug 2013
**** I am eligible for a $5000 Older Child Grant ****
Grant funds depend on available funding; the link above, shows the current available amount!
To inquire about this child, email childinquiry@reecesrainbow.org ***
UPDATE JANUARY 2016: Frederick now has a wheelchair that he can move on his own,and he is going to be able to go out to the neighborhood school starting this week! He is making amazing progress.

Frederick has low muscle tone, and he has been diagnosed with developmental delays. He is capable of feeding himself (but he makes a mess!) and just needs more practice to develop that skill. There is concern about core muscle development, but Frederick works hard, so it is believed that he may be able to walk some day.

Frederick is a hard-working little boy who wants to develop his skills. He has developed friendships with some of the other kids in the orphanage (both able-bodied and special-needs kids). He responds well to physical therapy, and in just a couple of months he progressed from simply lying on a mat to attempting to stand and taking small steps. Multiple unrelated children can be adopted together.

Carlton

Boy, Age: 15
Country Code: LA-4
Primary Diagnosis: Cerebral palsy
Listed: Jan 2014
**** I am eligible for a $5000 Older Child Grant ****
Grant funds depend on available funding; the link above, shows the current available amount!
To inquire about this child, email childinquiry@reecesrainbow.org ***
Carlton is a 15 year old boy with cerebral palsy. He is smart, mischievous, funny and always keeping everyone around him entertained! Carlton can maneuver his wheelchair independently. He uses a gait trainer to run/walk, and when he is not in one of those he is always scooting or crawling on the floor. He can get in and out of his wheelchair, bed, and shower, and everywhere else he needs to go by himself. Carlton attaches to new friends and grownups easily and loves to be right next to his people helping them or playing all the time! He loves swimming, music, dancing, going for walks, doing chores around the house, jumping on the trampoline, going for bike rides, and just about anything as long as he’s doing it with his favorite people. Carlton is the most verbal “nonverbal” child and figures out a way to communicate pretty much everything that he needs to whether through gestures or any other method he prefers. At school he is working on age appropriate things and can participate in all his lessons by touching correct answers with his hands instead of writing or speaking. He is also working to improve his attention span! He doesn’t eat independently with a spoon but can use a fork and drink by himself. He is currently in diapers. Carlton loves to play with others but needs reminders to be gentle often when he gets overexcited. He is very social and loves to meet new people. Please see Carlton!!! He would thrive in a family!

Breckin

Boy, Age: 12
Country Code: LA-4
Primary Diagnosis: Cerebral palsy
Listed: Jan 2014
**** I am eligible for a $5000 Older Child Grant ****
Grant funds depend on available funding; the link above, shows the current available amount!
To inquire about this child, email childinquiry@reecesrainbow.org ***
Update October 2022: Breckin is a happy, silly, 11 year old with CP, sensory processing difficulties, and epilepsy well controlled with medication. He LOVES any sort of 1:1 time with his favorite people and lights up the whole room with his smile and laugh when he sees someone he loves. He gives the best hugs, if it were up to him he would be hugging someone 100% of the day! When he is super happy (most of the time) he has a happy dance that he does with a high pitched laugh. He recently started standing in a stander and walking with a gait trainer and has made so much improvement already! His favorite things are any 1:1 time, singing, school, being bounced around on the trampoline, swimming or any water play, going for bike rides in a bike trailor, playing with shaving cream, and cuddling. He can get out of and into chairs well by himself and likes to scoot around on the floor. Most of the time he scoots himself over to get up on the couch or to look in the wall mirror. He loves his caregivers so much and has so much love to give to his future family! He needs help with putting food into his mouth but can hold his water when he drinks independently. He can help putting his limbs through shirts and pants but needs help getting dressed fully. He is in diapers at the moment. He used to bang his head a lot out of boredom and habit, but when he is engaged or in a chair/stander that is more difficult to hit his head against anything he likes to stim by shaking his head around, putting his hands in his mouth, or grinding his teeth. He listens when told to take his hands out of his mouth and can easily be redirected if he is self stimming inappropriately. Videos on request!

Update July 2020: Breckin is such a fun kid who loves hugs and one on one interaction. If you go in for a hug, be ready to stay awhile because he will want to hold you there. He can currently hold his own bottle to drink on his own. He is spending more time in a walker in therapy. He needs encouragement in it, but is getting better. He will walk with you with support for a little ways as well. With more intense therapy, he would really excel in this area. He loves it when his caregivers sing his favorite songs. He really likes hymns as well as the Goodnight Song sung in his house.

Update Jan 2015: Breckin has cerebral palsy, but he can sit up and stand with assistance. He can even take a few steps if you hold onto his hands. He has been receiving regular therapy and loves this time. Breckin is making great improvements – he now has a modified crawl that he uses to get all around his house and can quickly move to wherever he wants to be. He can also pull himself up to stand and does this often. Breckin does not yet feed himself, but he has practiced holding his own spoon and sippy cup and has made great progress. Breckin is a happy little guy who loves to play.

Bennett

Boy, Age: 10
Country Code: LA-4
Primary Diagnosis: Hydrocephalus
Listed: Aug 2019
$4,445.34
has been donated towards the cost of my adoption!

Your gift will serve ALL of the children, as 10% of each Waiting Child Donation is shared with our Voice of Hope fund, as well!
Bennett is a very social child. Whenever he sees his friends, he eagerly greets them with a smile, a hug, and a “Happy Birthday!” He had hydrocephalus as an infant that was treated with a VP shunt. The shunt was later removed but he still has macrocephaly. He does have a history of seizures which are very well controlled by medication. He receives physical therapy twice a week and has made tremendous progress over the past several years.

He is fully mobile, can feed himself, and go to the bathroom independently. Bennett wears a helmet to protect his head. He has become fond of his helmet though because he can show off his headstand. You will often find him enjoying jumping on the trampoline, playing on the playground or going on a walk. He needs redirection often because he is always on the move. Although he is generally happy, he can get frustrated when people do not do what he wants to do or if he is being asked to do something he is not ready for.

Bennett’s favorite part of school is circle time because he likes to sing songs and answer ALL the questions even if his answer has nothing to do with what was asked. He understands and speaks English as well as his native language. He is known for reciting the four seasons in English quite well. At home, he loves to ask other people to dance and sing with him too. Bennett loves to make people smile!