A Little Boy's Smile

In many ways putting into words how we came to adopt a waiting child is very difficult. Our experience was a process, guided by a combination of advice from medical professionals, support from Wide Horizons staff, and our own gut instinct, and faith. Here is our story:

When we submitted our application we wanted to adopt an infant. We were certain an older child would have attachment issues and developmental delays. However, when we looked through the notebook of waiting children, one little boy's smile captivated us. We couldn't get Ruslan out of our minds. We requested more information and received a page of medical history and a video of Ruslan when he was three years old. We learned there was a problem with his left kidney and that surgery might be required. But, after watching the video, we felt Ruslan was meant to be our son.

Next we obtained more recent medical records that showed no recent history of a kidney problem. This eased our minds. Discussing all the possibilities of his condition with a pediatrician familiar with international adoptions also helped. Attending WHFC's "Adopting the Older Child" class also gave us insight and provided us with strategies to make the transition easier for us all.

Eight months after submitting our application we arrived home with our wonderful little boy. He easily expresses affection and has made rapid progress in comprehending and speaking English since being home. He loves nursery school and will start Kindergarten in September.

Last summer, Ruslan underwent minor surgery for his kidney problem and is doing well. He showed great resilience during his medical tests, and recovered from surgery very quickly.

We would easily consider adopting another waiting child with minor medical needs or who is over the age of two. For us there are advantages to knowing what medical issues have "surfaced" in an older child that might not yet be apparent in an infant, as well as to reviewing pictures, videos and medical records before traveling.

Sometimes we look at Ruslan and wonder what would have become of this handsome, smart, gentle soul if his beautiful smile hadn't caught our eye in the waiting child book. We are glad that we chose an older child with medical needs. He has enriched our lives and made our adoption journey one of our greatest and most cherished life experiences.

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