Help Her Become Part Of Our Family

For those of you who don't know us my name is Chris and my wife is Cheryl . We have been married 18 years and have five biological children ages 10 to 17. In 2010 our family opened our hearts and home to children in need. We have had about 17 placements since then. Some have been individual children, others have been siblings to include four children from the same family, and even a set of infant twins. Some have stayed for only a few hours while others have been apart of our family for over a year, essentially their whole life .

  Fifteen months ago we became family to our current child when the state approached us about a newborn little girl that needed a home. Without hesitation we said, "yes!" We immediately began the "intake" process with the same excitement we had when each of our biological children arrived, buying diapers, formula, clothes and other items we would need for the precious addition that would be joining our family .  As we embarked on this new journey, we knew that it would not be an easy one. As a family that has helped children in need in the past, we knew the time with our new little addition was not ours to decide . Regardless, we committed as a family to love and care for this little girl as if she was one of our own and hoped she always would be. From the moment she arrived, she was loved by every member of our family - including grandparents, cousins, aunts and uncles - and now 15 months later, she is still as much a member of our family as the other children.
 
   In the last 15 month that bond has grown through the daily life as a family. Each one of us has shared the privilege and the responsibility of holding her and comforting her as she battled through circumstantial symptoms put on her, special health and dietary needs, and necessary early intervention therapy . We know she will continue to require vigilant care to keep her healthy, but we are eager to continue that role as her parents and siblings; she is a part of our family, and we couldn't imagine a life where she wasn't.

 Unfortunately, we are now in a situation where loopholes in the systems may take her away from this environment of love, support, and healing.  Although we have fought for her every step of the way , along with the help of some supportive professionals on her team, we are finding that the process is getting held up to the point that we need to hire legal representation to keep her home with her family.

 We are asking friends and family for financial support as we fight to keep her in our family and continue the environment where she will be loved, encouraged and supported.