SNAP::Special Needs Adoption Project

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May 1, 2005

Our mission at Adoption Ark is to Aid and Rescue Kids. We feel that if God puts a child in need in our path then it is our ethical obligation to do what we can to help that child.

One Russian orphanage pleaded with us to help a baby boy named Egor. They are desperate for help to save this child’s life. We are informing all AA families about Egor and asking for your assistance. Egor turned 3 on March 1, 2005. He is a survivor! He was born with weight 3kg300g, height 34 cm, circumference of the head 34 cm, circumferences of the chest 35 cm, Apgar 8/8. He was born as a perfect baby. He was breastfed by his mother. On the 7th day of his life, he was brought to the children’s hospital – something was terribly wrong. On the 13th day of his life he went into a coma. In scare of his situation, his mother abandoned him and he was placed with the orphanage.

At about one month old he was diagnosed with MSUD and son after he started eating a special formula that is prescribed for the children with this condition. MSUD, Maple Syrup Urinary Disease, is a metabolic condition that turns proteins from everyday foods into poisons that can cause mental retardation, physical disabilities and death. Egor was diagnosed when he was very small and has been receiving special formula and supplements that are lifesaving to a baby with this condition. The orphanage has been fortunate until now to receive this food supplement from sponsors. However, at this time Egor has only a few weeks worth of formula left. It is very expensive and the orphanage does not have the resources to purchase it. It is manufactured only in the United States and England. The sad part is that government resources in Russia do not supply the formula to the child. He has to rely on kindness of the sponsors. Please help! We wish to address this request to everyone who can help, especially to people familiar with MSUD or to people with some medical knowledge. Egor has an essential need – food. He can not eat anything other than the special formula.

We are looking for sponsors that can donate money for special food for Egor or, it will be even more appreciated, to buy this food and ship it to the orphanage. More information about the food supplement needed for Egor can be provided by calling either Kim Fury at (877) 213-1444 or Alla Afinogenova at (925) 673-3036. Also, we are accepting donations to help offset the cost of international adoption once we are able to find Egor parents. If you are interested in adopting Egor, please contact Kim Fury at (877) 213-1444 or email info@specialadoption.com. Last but not least we are asking for your Prayers for Egor. His future depends on him getting proper nutrition, medical care and the help that he needs. Let’s join our efforts to save Egor. More information and a video are available upon request.

January 31, 2005

Olya is a very special little girl that needs our help. She has a very rare condition affecting her hands and feet. Several specialists in the United States have identified this condition as possibly being amyoplasia, a non-genetic condition characterized by joint contracture and lack of muscle development. Fortunately, unless there is some other associated diagnosis, patients are generally of normal intelligence. Amyoplasia is non-progressive but does require major corrective surgery. Olya is described as a very determined little girl. She often uses her feet to assist her with task her hands alone cannot accomplish. Adoption Ark has a special parent that is very interested in adopting Olya. However, the cost of adoption followed by the cost of medical care and treatment for amyoplasia are overwhelming for just about anyone. If you would be interested in donating money to help cover adoption expenses please call Kim at (877) 213-1444 or email info@specialadoption.com .

Update: Olya has a family committed to their adoption.

November 28, 2004

Diana and Ruslan need caring, loving parents ASAP. Both are described as friendly, easy going kids. They are both good students with good conduct to match. Diana and Ruslan are not even a year apart in age and they share a very close bond. Diana has a spot on her face known as nevus flammeus or a "port wine stain". This condition occurs in approximately 3 in 1000 births. Unfortunately, in her birth-country, a child with this condition is ostracized and faces a grim future. Both Ruslan and Diana are reported as healthy. For more information on how you can adopt Diana and Ruslan please call Kim at (877) 213-1444 or email info@specialadoption.com .

Update: Diana and Ruslan have a family committed to their adoption.

October 19, 2004

UPDATE: S.N.A.P. and Adoption Ark would like to say thank you to every one who inquired about helping Angel. Thankfully, we have found a family for Angel. Please keep Angel and her new family in you prayers as they go through the paperwork and travel necessary to bring her home.

This little girl is only 3 years old. In the 3 years of her life she has already experienced pain, life in a hospital, as well as compassion. The Little Angel received burns all over her face due to a tragic accident. She was rushed to an emergency room and doctors were shocked that this little girl had such a strong will to survive. While she was going through procedures in intensive care, she kept telling the doctor that she is ok and promised not to cry too much. She became the hospital's favorite girl and they gave her a nick name " Angel with strong wings". Although she could not smile because of her scars, she would be the first one to greet a new patient. She took the role of "mama" to many little kids in intensive care. She would sing them all the wonderful songs that she could remember. When Angel was leaving the hospital, all the nurses were crying since they got so attached to a little Angel with strong wings. The judge decided that the child had suffered because of her parents' negligence and Little Angel was admitted to the orphanage. At first, kids were making jokes about her "ugly face," but soon she became an object of respect and adoration. Little Angel learned true compassion when she was in the hospital. She saw so many good people caring about her that she wanted to teach other kids how they should treat those who are in pain. At the end of her second week in the orphanage, Angel organized a "Doll hospital". She asked all the kids to bring the toys (dolls and animals) that needed repair. She was giving treatments to the toys with the creativity of a 3 years old. All the kids slowly became her best friends. Other girls would fight over a seat next to Angel. This girl has an amazingly strong will. She is a true leader. She is very smart, but most importantly, she deserves the respect of adults and other kids. She went through the pain that no 3 years old should ever go through. She is truly an amazing child!

Adoption Ark is looking for a family who can adopt Angel and get her reconstructive plastic surgery. In order to get good results, the surgery has to be done as soon as possible. We will also accept donations to cover the surgery if we can not find parents. 100% of the donated money will be used to help Angel and other kids with medical needs.

Please contact Elina at adopt@adoptionark.com

October 5, 2004

This letter was written by an adoptive parent on behalf of Olya, an 11 year old girl in Kazakhstan. Olya really desires a family and we want to do everything possible to insure her future is with loving parents. Please contact us with any questions you have about Olya and the international adoption process. Gwen, the author, is also willing to answer questions and tell prospective parents about this special girl.

We met Olya when we were adopting our son in November 2003. We wanted to adopt a girl as well and were introduced to her. Despite Olya's FAS she seemed to be a very bright child with a strong sense of right and wrong. She wanted very much to be part of a family. We planned to adopt her. Then we found out that there was an issue with her paperwork and she could not be adopted at that time. Broken hearted we looked at another orphanage for a little girl and found our daughter Asya. Then we found out that the paperwork issue for Olya was a mistake and she was adoptable after all. We only had approval for two children and Asya was a little girl whom we had learned of before we left for Kazakhstan , but had then been told was unavailable. It was a miracle that we found her and we knew she was meant to join our family. We vowed to try to find a family for Olya once we got home.

We spent three days visiting with Olya before we were told we would be unable to adopt her. We also saw her several times after that while we were still visiting our son. I am sure that seeing our son be adopted without her was very difficult. This past summer Olya saw a good friend of hers be adopted, and right now another child she is knows is being adopted. Olya is a quiet gentle child who is shy but opens up quickly. She is a very eager learner. She wanted to learn English and knew a couple words in English and tried to write them (using Russian characters). She did a very good job sounding them out. Given the right encouragement Olya will strive to do well in her studies. She is independent and responsible. The first day we met her she had a large hole in her ragged tights. The next day it was stitched closed. She had fixed them herself to look her best for us. We asked that it be explained to her that we couldn't adopt her, not that we didn't want to, but whether or not she believed this we may never know. She accepted it gracefully although it must have been very hard.

She knew our son very well and in fact bears a remarkable resemblance to him. Olya is 10 years old, although she will turn 11 on November 16. She is very small for her age as was our son, but like him, I expect she will grow very fast once she is given proper nutrition. From meeting Olya it is obvious that given the opportunity she will strive to be the best that she can. She would love to have a family and is eager to please. Olya gets along well with other children and said she would like to have siblings. However, I think she would be thrilled to have parents even if there are no siblings. She will need lots of attention and encouragement from loving parents to recognize her own inward and outward beauty. With loving parents I believe she will flourish and grow to her fullest potential.

I would be willing to talk to any family about Olya and our experiences adopting from Kazakhstan . Olya needs and deserves a family and if we could afford it we would go back for her ourselves.

This child has so much to offer herself and a family if she is just given the chance to show it. If she remains in the orphanage until she is too old to stay there, her future is grim.

Gwen

creativerays@iglide.net

Another Mom, Valerie, sent us this description of Olya. She also is willing to answer questions about international adoption and Olya.

Olya was one of the girls in our daughter's group. She was quick to smile and quick to give us a hug. Every day when we visited we played with, of course our daughter, but all the kids, giving us a very good grasp on many aspects of the children. Olya was one of those that we spent a lot of time with. She is sweet and very kind. Polite and caring. She tried and succeeded in learning some English words while we were there. She loves to run play games and she participated in all the crafts that we brought with us, and she loves to cuddle. Our daughter told us that Olya's dream is to also be adopted. Our daughter said too that Olya can be silly, that she loves to make others laugh!

Legal Disclaimer: This information is not to be copied in whole or in part without the express written permission of The Special Needs Adoption Project at Adoption Ark. You should not rely on this information as a substitute for personal legal advice, medical diagnosis and/or medical counsel. Information contained herein is subject to change. We cannot guarantee the accuracy or personal applicability of the information on this site.