Esther- July Child of the Month!

 We got Esther at 10 days old and she’s been the light of our lives ever since! After surviving a fentanyl overdose in the womb, she was left with hydrocephalus, cerebral palsy, arthrogryposis, and a spinal cord injury that permanently paralyzed her legs. What she lacks in mobility, she makes up for in sweetness and sass, and she spends her days bossing her mama around by pointing at everything she wants. She’s super social and loves her “job” waving at friends of all ages as a church greeter! She also enjoys going to her early intervention preschool, FaceTiming members of her “tummy mommy” family, and cuddling with her forever family. Books are her favorite—picture books, chapter books, audio books, and everything in between—and she has over 6,000 pages on her summer reading log at the library! Esther’s story is a testament 

to God’s grace in the face of insurmountable odds, as well as the power of His radical love and acceptance through the beauty of open adoption. We can’t wait to see it continue to unfold as she prepares to welcome home her new eight-year-old heart warrior big brother from Bulgaria!

Ivy was born into this world a healthy little girl, with all the opportunities and abilities set before her. Unfortunately, for this precious little one, that was short-lived. At just five weeks of age, she went into respiratory failure and was rushed to a local hospital. It was there that the horrifying discovery of the nightmare she had been living began to come to light. She was flown to a children’s hospital better equipped to handle her medical issues. It was then discovered that Ivy had suffered abusive head trauma.

Her life had been irrevocably rewritten—altered by someone meant to embody safety. Instead, safety was replaced by cruelty. This person became the architect of her deepest pain and suffering.

Ivy’s injuries were extensive.  She was not expected to survive. And if she did, her life would be forever changed.

We were familiar with her maternal family and were contacted and asked to take this precious soul in. We discussed it. We prayed. It would be a big responsibility, but I knew this was where the Lord was leading us.

After her lengthy hospital stay, we traveled to bring her home with us. We were terrified. She was tiny and frail, still healing from the most traumatic wounds anyone could imagine.

Ivy’s main diagnosis, resulting from the abuse, is severe quadriplegic spastic cerebral palsy and cortical visual blindness as a result of two traumatic brain injuries. She will require lifelong care.

I’m August 2024 the adoption was final! 🎉🎉  The best day ever! Our family ever after!! Transitioning into the role of parents to a child with special needs has been a profound learning experience. Our commitment to Ivy will always be unwavering. We remain dedicated to helping her reach her full potential—whatever God may allow that to be.

My days are spent advocating and caring for her, making sure she has everything she needs and deserves. She is so very worth it, and her life absolutely matters.

Ivy now faces a world filled with challenges. She has been robbed of the milestones that mark a child’s journey through life. She is unable to play with toys, choose a favorite food, or recite her ABCs. She should have the chance to run freely in the sun, to articulate her thoughts and needs, to pick an apple from a tree and savor its taste.

Yet despite the extreme hardships, Ivy shows us daily a resilience that is nothing short of remarkable. In her beautiful smile, her contagious giggle, and her determined efforts to interact with the world in her own way—without words—she reveals a strength that inspires and humbles us. She is truly the happiest girl we have ever known.

Her spirit, her courage, and her determination remind us of the potential that still resides in her medically complex body.

This incredibly brave little girl continues to amaze, motivate, and bless us daily with her immense courage and her unspoken hopes for a brighter tomorrow.

Her life does matter. And we would all be better if we were a little more like Ivy.

 "Last April, my husband and I decided to activate our profile through our agency to adopt a child from foster care. We had already adopted a baby boy who had recently turned two and we have two older boys who were 8 and 10 at the time. We had a plan to look at children between the ages of two and eight. Time passed, and we waited. On the last day of July, our agency director emailed us. She told us about a three month baby girl with Down's syndrome, possible hearing issues, and needing a follow up regarding some blood work. She apologized to us, knowing we weren't activated for the infant program yet, but she also knew us. Something put our family on her mind and heart for this little baby. We took a day to pray about it and to talk about adding a little life to our family. We did research on what we knew about her health. Our third son, Ashton, has quite a complex medical history and we were worried we would be overwhelmed by caring for a new type of need we were unfamiliar with. By the afternoon the following day, we knew there was no way we were going to say no. We had an hour to create a profile with photos to present to the family. After that, we waited a little over an hour to get a call from the director, telling us we were picked to be her parents. The next day, we were on our way to pick her up from the agency. My first peek at her was from the street. I could see someone in the building, lifting a tiny baby and I knew she was ours. 

We met her and we instantly adored her. Our boys love having a baby sister to love and hold and play with. Adding Areli to our family felt like second nature. She is thriving as a one year old, moving at her own pace, meeting milestones slowly, but happily. Areli loves her brothers and her puppy Echo. She is quick to smile at others and loves to be cuddled. Areli is the blessing we weren't looking for, but one we're happy we were given.”

 STORMI DAWN NEAL 👑was welcomed into the world on January 23, 2023. This year, we became licensed foster parents. Stormi arrived prematurely at 27 weeks and spent nearly six months in the NICU due to feeding difficulties and various other complications. The moment she came home, we were smitten. Caring for a medically complex baby was new territory for us, and we encountered numerous challenges, dedicating our days to appointments with specialists, therapies, and tests. During this time, Stormi's biological mother and I formed a deep and meaningful bond. Our daughters will always know they are fortunate to have not just one mom, but two! Together, we advocated for Stormi until we finally received the answers we needed to provide her with the best possible life. Stormi is one of the happiest babies I've ever met. The doctors were uncertain about the causes of her issues, so they recommended genetic testing. After a year, we learned that she tested positive for Bainbridge ROPERS SYNDROME ASXL3. Her main challenges include weight gain, gastrointestinal issues, severe sleep apnea, a rare kidney disease, and feeding difficulties, among others. However, this rare genetic disorder does not define her! She has already demonstrated incredible strength, constantly smiling and giggling. She spreads joy wherever she goes and is truly a blessing in our lives. We eagerly anticipate all that she will achieve, and despite the challenges our family faces, we always find joy in this tough world. We are incredibly thankful to have Stormi recognized as the princess of the month! She means everything to us.

Written y his mama, "I  am beyond proud to share the incredible story of my son, Dawson Bradley, who has

been chosen as the Born Chosen Prince of the Month for March, in honor of Trisomy Awareness Month. Josh and I spent over seven years trying to have children. After numerous rounds of infertility treatments and endless heartache, we had almost lost hope of ever becoming parents. We had recently moved from Greenville, SC to Memphis, TN, hoping to start a ministry. Little did we know that God had already set in motion a much greater plan for us than we could ever have imagined. He blessed us with our beautiful son, Dawson.

Dawson's story began in June of 2005. After several life-altering events, and through the kindness of strangers and amazing people, God opened our eyes to adoption. While serving in student ministry at our church in Memphis, I felt in my heart that God would bring a young woman into our lives who was pregnant and seeking an open adoption.

One Wednesday evening, Josh spoke to our students about our infertility struggles and the two failed adoptions we had gone through. He shared our hope that one day, God would bless us with children. After the service, one of our adult volunteers came to us and told us about a young woman she had met—four months pregnant and wanting an open adoption. She had just made the brave decision to place her baby with a family.

The very next Saturday, we met her. The following Sunday, on our way to camp, she called to tell us that she had chosen us to be the parents of her baby. I was overwhelmed with tears of joy—my dream of becoming a mother was finally coming true.  I took the birth mother to every doctor’s appointment, and each step of the way, I was byher side. The first time she heard Dawson's heartbeat, I heard it too. When we found outhe was a boy, she and I decided together that his name would be Dawson. She wanted to call him Dawson from that moment on. My heart was overflowing with love and gratitude.

The pregnancy progressed without any complications, and we eagerly awaited the day we would meet him. But when the time came for Dawson’s birth, things didn’t go as smoothly as we’d hoped. The doctors began to notice signs of distress, and a C-section was decided. The birth mother asked me to be in the room with her, and I was honored to be there by her side, holding her hand as we prepared to meet my son. At 2:25 pm on November 28, 2005, Dawson was born. As they whisked him away for evaluation, I texted Josh and told him our beautiful boy had arrived. But soon, we were told that Dawson was in respiratory distress and had been taken to the NICU. It was there, in that sterile and quiet room, that our world changed. The doctors believed Dawson had Trisomy 18—Edwards Syndrome—based on several physical markers. He also had serious heart defects, including an ASD, PDA, and a large VSD. The doctors told us that no cardiologist would perform surgery on a child with Trisomy 18, and that Dawson likely wouldn’t survive long. They urged us to reconsider our decision to continue his care, telling us it would be better to invest our time and money into a child with a better prognosis. But none of it mattered to us. Dawson was our son, and no matter how much time we had with him—whether minutes, hours, days, or years—those moments would be the best of our lives. 

After 2 ½ weeks in the NICU, Dawson came home. He was so fragile, but we cherished every breath he took. We watched him closely, ensuring he was safe. We were blessed to be connected with hospice care in Memphis, who helped us with the medical equipment we needed and supported us as we navigated the challenges. At just one month old,Dawson went into congestive heart failure. A surgeon who had been displaced by Hurricane Katrina was working at Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital in Memphis. In a turn of fate, he agreed to perform surgery on Dawson to repair the VSD. In that moment, I knew it was God's hand at work. Dawson not only survived the surgery, but he thrived.  When Dawson was strong enough, we moved back to South Carolina to be with family.

The challenges continued, but Dawson never stopped fighting. At 18 months old, he underwent heart surgery in Charleston, SC. Doctors there, too, saw Dawson as a typical child who simply needed help. The surgery was a success, and once again, we saw God's presence guiding us through each step. Dawson came through major surgery with resilience and strength.  Through all of his challenges—his trach, his G-tube, his struggles with epilepsy and Lennox-Gastaut syndrome—Dawson kept surprising us with his courage and spirit. He

thrived under the care of a wonderful team at Prisma Health Children's Hospital and had a network of home health nurses who loved him as their own. For all of this, we are forever grateful.

In 2024, Dawson was having the best year yet. We traveled together to the SOFT Conference in Minnesota and to Indiana. But in August, everything changed. One night, the alarms on his monitor went off. I rushed to his side, but by the time I reached him, his heart had stopped beating. Despite our best efforts to revive him, Dawson passed away five days later, surrounded by the love of his family.

As heartbreaking as it is to say goodbye, we would not trade a single moment we had with our precious boy. Dawson was the heart of our family, and the love I have for him is indescribable. I miss him every day. Samuel Dawson Bradley was truly a miracle, and he lived a life full of purpose and love—just as God had planned. And while our hearts ache with his loss, we hold on to the hope that one day, we will see him again and hold him once more.

Writen by his mama, " Reid joined our family via embryo donation. We had two biological children, and were looking into options to complete our family. When a friend mentioned donor embryos, I knew immediately that would be our path! We specifically sought donors who desired an open embryo adoption so our child could always know his genetic family.

Throughout my pregnancy, doctors assured us our baby was healthy. At birth though, Reid surprised everyone with a diagnosis of Esophageal Atresia and a Tracheoesophageal Fistula. EA/TEF is a rare and random life threatening birth defect that requires prompt surgery to survive. Many EA/TEF babies have surgery soon after they're born and go home within several weeks. 

Reid's case, however, was fraught with many unexpected hurdles. His genetic family met him while he was still in the NICU, with a very unknown future. It ultimately took three surgeries to connect his esophagus to his stomach. After 128 days in the NICU, our 4-month-old came home exclusively tube fed because despite a “successful” repair, his esophagus was still not functional. 

Two weeks later, complications from a routine procedure left Reid with more damage to his esophagus and a hole in his previously healthy lungs. Every little cold that winter turned into a hospital stay for pneumonia. It was a terrifying 7 months waiting for his team to develop a surgical plan. The day finally arrived when Reid was 11 months old.

We were warned it would be a grueling 9+ hour surgery with no guarantees that he would be able to breathe independently, eat by mouth, or even swallow his own saliva. But somehow the stars aligned that day, and Reid was out of the OR in half the anticipated time! He was discharged after 10 days with an intact esophagus and no supplemental oxygen.

Today, Reid remains medically complex, but he is stable. He's eating small amounts of food by mouth, with his g-tube his primary source of nutrition. While respiratory illnesses continue to be scary, we can provide most medical interventions from home. His genetic family got to see his tube-free face for the first time when they visited again last summer. He's an avid crawler now, loves walking in his gait trainer, and might just try some birthday cake when he turns 2 in April."

 Written by his mama, "We began our adoption journey over three years before Ashton was placed with us. We had two biological children, but adoption was always on our hearts as something we felt called to do. Adoption has many stories. For us, adoption was a waiting game. We trusted our child, whoever they were, would be presented to us and we committed to having our “yes” ready. 

We met Ashton when he was three months old. He was so precious and tiny, weighing only about 3lbs. Ashton was born at 24 weeks and was very sick. He was diagnosed with necrotizing enterocolitis. By three months, he had had multiple surgeries and complications from his too early arrival to the world. Ashton was determined to do more than survive but to thrive. On our first meeting, we were in awe of his tiny body. My husband and I put our hands in his incubator to gently touch his delicate skin. Ashton grabbed onto Stephen’s finger and would not let go. In that moment, we felt as if he grabbed our hearts. This little one was our son and we would walk with him through his very long, very emotional NICU journey. 

After 303 days in the hospital, multiple eye surgeries, a repair of his colon, gTube and tracheostomy, we were able to bring our son home. His two big brothers were so excited to have him home. They love sharing his story with their friends and teachers. At under three years old, Ashton has overcome more than I could ever imagine. He is a strong, empathetic, warrior. We are continually blessed to have him in our family."