...and Two

In December I decided that I would also start counting up the number of months since I submitted my Medical Conditions Checklist (MCC) to my agency. This is where you check off all the "special needs" you might be open to considering. The term "special needs" is a broad one, particularly in countries such as China. Here in America, when we hear the term "special needs", we tend to think of children who are severly disabled - either physically or developmentally.

In China (and certain other foreign countries), the term "special needs" can be used to refer to children who are perfectly healthy and bright, except they might be missing a finger or a toe. They might have a birthmark, or perhaps they have hearing loss in one ear. They might have been born with a cleft lip, a club foot, scoliosis, a minor heart condition, or were just born prematurely...all issues that - here in America - a child's parents would have addressed immediately following birth.

But children in an orphanage have much less chance of receiving any specialty medical care they might need. Interestingly, even if these kids are lucky enough to receive donated surgeries to fully repair these issues, they are STILL labeled "special needs" children when they go back to the orphanage - just because of their past issues - and cannot be adopted thru the "healthy child" programs.

In fact, 85% of the children in China's orphanages are labeled "special needs". And while some of those children do have complicated and severe disabilities and developmental issues, the vast majority of them are just children who may not have been born "perfect" (are any of us?) - and their biggest special "need" is the need for a family who can provide them with the love, medical and nutritional care that all children deserve.

Speaking of which - congrats to THIS new family united earlier today! Their daughter is adorable. :)