Guest Author - Mindy Graham

Okay, so for the first time I am going to write about three specific children that have touched my very own heart.

These children are still available, but I will be changing their name, for those who want more information please contact me.

The first is a little girl I will call “Daria”, she resides in Ukraine, and is perhaps the most beautiful little girl I’ve seen. She walks, runs even, and is cognatively aware and there has never been mention of any delays beyond that caused directly from living in an institution. Sweet “Daria” however suffers from Cerebral Palsy. This essentially means that she has a physical disability. There are differing levels of cerebral palsy (which is simply a term used to define an non progressive, non contagious physical disability) and “Daria” appears to have a very mild form of it. She is five years old, but unfortunately instead of entering kindergarden she is facing the reality of an institution.


The second is an handsome little devil from Serbia. I will call him “Marcus”. He has the darkest hair, matched with the darkest eyes and he will certainly be a little heartbreaker one day. I truly have little info on this sweet four year old beyond that he is moderately mentally delayed but his picture, well it stole my heart.

The third is an older poor I will call “Sammie”. It’s unfortunate that I feel the need to use the term older for a seven year old. His disability? (since I am sure you’ve noticed most of my own personal efforts are directed to special needs children) he has ADHD. He resides in an Eastern European country and is described as very sensitive, and loves to be hugged! This poor guy has been heavy on my heart for years and is in desperate need of a very active and patient family.

Adoptive parents are often the biggest gift for many children, they crusade for the ones who touched them personally, and fight to find them homes when no one else is willing to take the time. These children were all identified to me by families, and yes I can direct you to were photos are available (though I will not be able to send you the ones I have personally).

This can often be a very trying part of the adoption journey, leaving these children behind. This is especially true in the case of a special needs child in a country that sentences them to a life in a mental institution.