Our Kids Mia The process of adoption is often filled with many emotions for parents – excitement, nervousness, joy, uncertainty, and more. When Mary and her husband Matt decided to adopt a child from China to join their family of four, the couple was hoping for a healthy baby girl. Such requests often delay the process by years, so the couple altered their request seeking a special needs baby. They were matched with a young girl named Mia. The couple was made aware that Mia had some health issues, but they weren’t sure of the exact details. Full story Jake Jake was born with a serious birth defect called VATER Syndrome – a constellation of birth defects that affects the heart, liver, kidneys, gastro intestinal tract, and the adrenal system. Jake was rushed into his first emergency heart surgery on the day he was born. Since then, Jake has endured open heart surgeries at 1, 3, and 8 years of age, and has undergone many other procedures to ease symptoms from his birth defects. Full story Tristan At just 2 hours old, Tristan’s dad Tanner noticed a dot in his right eye. Tristan’s pediatrician in Kansas assured his mom Kiersten and Tanner that it was normal and would disappear on its own. Instead, it grew larger. That was eight months, four surgeries, and three hospitals ago. Full story Jayme Jayme had always been an active kid. And the last few months of fourth grade in 2015 were no exception. She went to a school picnic, cut her long hair short to donate to cancer patients, and even participated in the Relay for Life event at her school. When the school year drew to a close, Jayme was excited for all the summer activities ahead of her. Full story Michael and Marissa A couple from Boston, Mass. was excited to start a new chapter of their lives as parents when they welcomed their first baby to the world. Mia was a healthy baby girl, and over the next few years the couple would welcome a son, Michael, and another daughter Marissa, to their growing brood. Michael and Marissa were happy babies, but the routine newborn screening detected a problem. Doctors soon discovered that both Michael and Marissa had urea cycle disorder, a genetic disorder that doesn’t allow their bodies to make the enzyme needed to maintain proper metabolism. Full Story