Aubrey, an 8-year-old girls living in an
orphanage in southeastern China, was in the process of being adopted and
planned to come home to her new family in later 2011. But along the way, plans
changed. Rob and Shawnee, a couple living in Kentucky who had already adopted
two children, were planning on fundraising in fall of 2011 in order to afford
the adoption of Aubrey, when they were asked to advocate for 14-year-old Amber
who was about to age out of the Chinese orphanage system. Instead of just advocating
for her, the couple decided that they would adopt both Amber and Aubrey, and so
had to rush through the adoption process before Amber aged-out.
The quickness of
the adoption meant the girls had to suddenly adjust to new people, new routines
and a new culture. At first, this was especially difficult for Amber, who had
spent such a long time in her orphanage in China. Aubrey had an easier time
with the process and Shawnee shares that Aubrey “is utterly thrilled with her
adoption”
Since arriving in their new home, both
girls have felt more and more at home. Shawnee says, “now that [Amber] is in her new home with her family, she seems to be accepting her
lot. She loves to sing and has shown me many photos of
her in music groups during her growing up years. She starts middle school next
Thursday and is scheduled to take a choral class, which makes her very happy.”
Aubrey also doing great and “is a ray of sunshine, sweet, affectionate, smart,
and so hard-working and helpful that we
often have to ask her to stop helping!”
Both girls still face several challenges.
Amber has heart disease and rheumatoid arthritis
and Aubrey has ataxic cerebral palsy, pronounced,
visual tracking problems, speech impairment and serious dental problems. But
their new family is already working to get them the medical treatment they need A grant from Gift of Adoption funded by donations in
memory of Maggie Bevenour made this trip possible – giving Amber and Aubrey a
permanent family and a chance to thrive. The couple promised, “We will
be their family forever. They will never ‘age out’ of our family.”
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