Chandler & Benjamin's Story
By Keith & Kelly C
When we were married in 1996 we decided that we wanted to wait to start a family for at least 2 years. When 2 years came we were not sure we were ready yet so we revised our plan to 5 years. When 5 years was approaching we started to include "having a family" into decisions we were making. We purchased a vehicle that would accommodate car seats, and we sold our small home and built one with plenty of room and a great yard for kids. We even picked up a few baby items when we found a good deal! Just when it seemed we were finally ready – something happened that we had never contemplated. We found out that we were not able to have our own biological children.
After the initial shock began to fade, we began to take action. Not having a clue as to where to begin the adoption process we contacted our County Department of Social Services. The day that we called was the deadline for signing up for a 10-week class that was required both for adopting and or for foster-parenting. As we took this class we still were not sure what direction we were going to go and what avenues we would take to build the family we so much desired. We were open to fostering but realized the chances of doing so and ending up being able to adopt the child or children were very slim. One of the social workers involved in the class had at some point attended an adoption fair or seminar where she had been given a brochure from Wide Horizons For Children. We were in the process of checking out many adoption agencies so we added Wide Horizons to the list of possibilities.
Our first real contact with Wide Horizons was in September 2003 when we drove to Pittsfield, MA for an informational meeting. It was there that we were given information about all the different programs available through Wide Horizons. We left there that night still not knowing for sure which country we wanted to go with. In November 2003 we decided on the Korea Program and began the entire process. We were approved and ready to be matched in January 2004. We received the call on March 12, 2004 that we had been matched with our oldest son, Chandler David, who had been born in January. The period from March 12th until July 28th (when we got the call he was arriving in NYC) were the longest days and weeks of our entire lives. All of that was quickly forgotten when he was handed to us on the night of August 4th, 2004.
In the early Spring of 2006 we decided we wanted to add to our family and again chose the Korea Program. We continually checked the waiting children on the website. Two times that summer we put in requests for children who we did not end up being matched with. Then, in late October 2006 we opened up the waiting children website once more and there he was! Our son Benjamin! His birthday was August 4th (the same day our son Chandler had arrived home from Korea two years earlier). We were matched with Benjamin on November 3rd. Ironically, a close family member of ours was in Korea on business at that same time. Miraculously, through the cooperation of Wide Horizons and The Holt Agency, she was able to go and meet Benjamin and his foster mom! We got the call on February 6th that Benjamin was arriving on February 9th. We are now complete... although sometimes we do still find ourselves looking at the waiting children!