Thank you for all the prayers, emails and especially the love. Thank you to all of you who have given us info. on cystic fibrosis. Thank you Diana for your help and thoughts.
We feel so very grateful to all of you.
The Update
With the new laws in Ukraine, it is more difficult to separate siblings. Last time the inspectors separated Alina from her brother Oleg, they all got in trouble. A few got fired and others got their salary lowered. As a result, none of the local inspectors will agree to separate the kids. They don't even want to hear the name Babenko(their last name).
The head inspector for the region is out of the country and will be back next Mon. He will be the deciding factor on if we can separate them.
The only peace Jeff and I feel is when we are with Alina. We both agree that Alina is ours and there is no way we are leaving her. If they won't separate them, then I guess that makes our decision for us about Zhenya.
Jeff and I have had little peace since leaving Zhenya. We have decided we don't want to leave with regrets.
We are taking Zhenya to a specialist on Mon. to see how severe his condition is and if he really is dying or if medicine in the U.S. can help him. So we will just hang out the next four days and wait for Mon. The waiting is the worst, but at least we can spend time with Alina.
I know you will both eventually find the peace you are waiting for in this whole situation. I agree, waiting is the worst (since my name is Patient-ha ha!). Hang in there!
ReplyDeleteHang in there! Enjoy your sweet Alina and I know your mind and heart will soon be at peace. It is a big decision and we will continue to pray for you!
ReplyDeleteWe can only imagine how scary and unsure this all is for you guys. It's not like you are at the store picking out a stuffed animal. This is a real child. So we continue to pray for you guys as you make some very personal decisions. Whatever happens, the Lord will take care of you. After all, he did when you adopted Sara and Lena.
ReplyDeleteYou guys are the best & I know things will work out the way they are supposed to. Praying for you!!
ReplyDeleteOh Amy. You and your family are continually in my thoughts. I will be anxious to hear what the specialist says - but still wary - due to Ukraine's backwards and mediocre medical industry. (Which is not a slam against Ukraine but simply a statement of truth. They are behind the times there. Perhaps ahead in fashion and heels? But behind in medical!)
ReplyDeleteSo glad you have peace with Alina and I think I would do the same thing. If they won't separate them, then there's the answer!
Hope and pray that whatever they determine, you will feel a witness that all will be well and this is God's plan. Love you!
So many prayers for you all right now. I so agree with Wendy's thoughts on the medical field there. We were told that both of our boys had serious stomach problems hindering their development and that the older one was at risk for spinal damage. When we got them to the states and had their records reviewed and new medicals done, the 'serious stomach problem' turned out to be chronic constipation due to inadequate nutrition (lol. both are regular now). And the spinal condition that posed a risk for spinal damage? Poor posture. Literally, that is what the medical diagnosis means. I guess there is some medical term for having poor posture and it was listed in their medicals and ultimately this is what all the freak out was about. Our doctor laughed when he read their file and told us half of all American's have this 'diagnosis' and then told the boys they needed to sit up straighter and we have had to sort of re-teach the younger one how to properly walk (and that had to do with more things than poor posture), but if that hadn't worked, worst case was that they'd shrink faster as they got older and have poor muscle tone... As for separating them, we attempted this route for a few days back in September and in our region the separations have pretty much been put to a stop. I do have a friend who adopted out of Zhytomyr in July and was able to do a separation of fully related biological siblings. As we all know, who knows:) Glad that you are enjoying Alina so much. That is wonderful!
ReplyDeletePraying for a favorable medical report for him and peace for you... I have been to that country (mission trip September 2011 through December 2011) and it is not at all difficult to purchase a medical degree if you know the right people. So take anything they say with a grain of salt... maybe you could contact this family (currently adopting siblings with cf) and ask if there are any specific questions or tests you should ask about to get a better idea of his medical condition? Nachalaadopt.blogspot.com
ReplyDeleteWhat a CRAZY ride this is. May you be blessed with the temporal and spiritual answers you need.
ReplyDeleteAs I've read these last few posts, my mind keeps drifting back to my most favorite movie EVER...Steel Magnolias. If you remember in that movie, there are so many concerns about Shelby getting pregnant because of her medical condition. Everyone questioned her decision. Her response to all the naysayers was "I'd rather have a few minutes of something wonderful than a lifetime of nothing special." I can't even begin to tell you how many times in my life those words have rung in my ears as I've faced big decisions.
Once you get him to the specialist there and you get the opinion (and it is largely that...an opinion!) of the Ukrainian doctors (and I agree with others...listen to it but also realize it may not be complete or accurate) I would then call Shriner's Hospital in Salt Lake 801-536-3500 and see if you can talk with a specialist there. You might have to call in the middle of the night your time and claw through the system a little bit to get through to someone as I believe that's the main front desk number I gave you, but explain your situation as an emergency and that you're in a foreign country and you really, really, REALLY need to speak with someone who can help answer some questions about CF and see if you can get them to at least give you some ideas of what treatments might be available for this little guy. Shriners is an AMAZING place and it's right there in Salt Lake (Federal Heights area). I wish we lived closer so we could use their services more that we do! I believe they now bill your insurance for payment if you have it, but otherwise any copays or other expenses they don't cover are on the house...which basically means they treat some of the most significant medical issues free of charge to you. Most of the doctors there are actually specialists at other places and are some of the best of the best in their field and the volunteer their time and services at Shriners.
I am not sure why this post didn't show up until today for me. It looks like everyone else saw it yesterday. So weird. I WAS CHEATED! I have been looking at pictures of Zhenia over and over and wondering how you are doing. I know they told us that they could never separate Alina and Oleg but then they did. I am sorry that we caused so many problems with the separation. I didn't know it was so detrimental. I remember saying "I am not leaving Oleg here just because Alina won't agree." I was ready to sit down and fold my arms and say "I'm not leaving until we get Oleg" but the floor was really dirty and so we didn't :) For those who don't know the whole story, we found out that Alina's relative had told her that she was going to adopt Alina and so she needed to say no to us. When we left the relative told her that she wasn't going to adopt her after all since she had allowed Oleg to go to America. This combined with all the scary things they say about America and Mormons she was scared to death. As it turns out she is getting a young and gorgeous Mom and 2 very awesome sisters and an amazing Dad and it supports the thought that "Good things come to those who wait." :)
ReplyDeleteI hope the medical report is good and that you get that cute little boy after all. We are praying hard that you get some true and hopeful information on Monday. Don't worry the right things will happen. We can't wait to see how it unfolds.
Love you guys
Wow, what a roller coaster. I'm praying for you and that you will have that peace with whatever decision you end up with. *hugs*
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