Dear Staff at A Child Waits Foundation:
Last year I received a grant from your foundation to
help me to bring my daughter Jessica home. I am happy to report that Jesse David
Zook (age 12 from Haskovo Bulgaria and Jessica Maria Zook (age 10 from Gabrovo,
Bulgaria) arrived in the US June 28, 2002.
The last 6 months have been a whirlwind with adding two new children to two bio children (Jaimee and Jordan 12 and 15). The kids are all doing great. They have adjusted beautifully. Jesse sings in the church choir and Jessica is on the city's girl's basketball team. The biggest issue we have had was that Jessica was in need of surgery and your grant got her here in time. She had pronounced hydrocephalus that had gone untreated for years, and also we found out after arrival, she had no skull on the right side of her head. She was treated with a new shunt after arrival for the hydrocephalus. She had a serious surgery Dec. 3, where they shaved 1/4 of her head and covered her brain with mesh and crushed skull. She did fantastic and was out of bed in 24 hours demanding to go to the playroom.
The doctors are amazed that she has no brain damage going untreated for 10 years in an orphanage. According to them she should be blind, deaf and severely retarded. There is nothing wrong with this child. She is smart as a whip, sweet, with the greatest sense of humor. I cannot imagine life without her now and the thought that we almost lost her (and would have without your grant) due to a bad attorney and having to pay a new one at the last moment just makes me shudder. She is happy and says she loves her mom and family and America and she never wants to go back, except to visit her friends. You never see this kid without a smile on her face and in fact she is usually laughing. She has inspired people everywhere she goes with her spirit and courage in the face of a scary surgery just months after arrival. I have had a lot of questions on how to go about adopting. My kids have really shown my small town that adopting older children can and does work and that each child alone in the world deserves a family.
Well this has gotten a little long winded. Just wanted you
to know your grant money has made us a happy family, and we are forever grateful
for this.
Hope you enjoy the picture:
Front: Jaimee-bio-15
Left: Jesse-Haskovo-12
Back: Jessica-with hat covering her stitches-10
Right: Jordan-bio-12
Love and God Bless,
Darcy Zook the Dream Kids Mom