Jennifer and Jonathan are united with their daughter through the China Child of Promise option
By: Ashli Courtright, Managing Editor
“After growing increasingly tired and discouraged by the wait time of a Chinese adoption, my husband and I decided to research Holt’s China Child of Promise option,” says Jennifer.
Just two months after switching from the standard China adoption process to the China Child of Promise program, Jonathan and Jennifer were matched with Kira, who’s minor, cor
rectable need will be considered cured after one surgery.
Jonathan and Jennifer are just one of many families who have chosen to expand their options and adopt through Holt’s China Child of Promise Program.
This program matches prospective adoptive parents with children who have minor and correctable needs ranging from: missing or extra digits, cleft lip/palate, club feet, and minor heart conditions.
The children in the China Child of Promise Program do not have any identified life-long health or learning disabilities, and their ‘special need’ can often be corrected with surgery, if it hasn’t been corrected already. It is still strongly suggested, however, that the child material be thoroughly reviewed by a medical professional who has experience in reviewing international child reports.
“After the surgery and a few follow-up appointments, Kira’s health issue will be considered cured, and she will only require a yearly check-up to monitor,” says Jennifer. “Her life expectancy will be normal, and there are no restrictions on her diet, activities, or abilities.”
Families already waiting to adopt a child from China can continue to pursue adopting through the standard process, expanding their options to accept a China Child of Promise. Most often they get matched with a child much quicker.
“Once we looked into what medical conditions qualified for a ‘Child of Promise’ designation, we were rather surprised at how minor some of them actually were,” says Jennifer.
The families considering this option are allowed to take some control of the adoption process by filling out a minor/correctable condition checklist of conditions that they feel they could realistically take on. If they are matched with a child whose needs seem out of their capacity, they may decline the referral and still be matched with another child.
“We were impressed that Holt never pushed us to consider medical conditions that we were either uncomfortable with, or were beyond our ability to care for,” says Jennifer.
“There are no guarantees with any child, including a biological child, but this program somehow feels more
open and in-depth to us, and the ability to make the choice on whether to take on a medical condition gave us the confidence we needed to proceed in how we build our family.”
Today Jonathan and Jennifer’s daughter Kira has no symptoms of her heart condition and, after one surgery in April, she will be considered completely cured of the ‘special need’ that put her in the China Child of Promise category.
“People who learn of Kira’s medical condition are always surprised, since she is such an energetic little girl, says Jennifer. “It has changed perceptions among our local ‘Children From China’ support group as to what qualifies as a ‘special need’.
“We are proud that because of meeting Kira, people are now considering an option that they wouldn’t have in the past, and that Chinese children might find their forever family more quickly as a result.”
There are many other Child of Promise children, like Kira, who have come home to be with loving forever families. Some of these children can be viewed on Holt International’s China Child of Promise photo gallery. Here you can see the success of this program through the families who have shared their stories and the beautiful smiles of the children who have touched their lives.
“We have come to view the China Child of Promise Program as our preferred path to parenthood, more so than any other route,” says Jennifer, “as we feel that we are getting a complete and honest look at the medical issues we would be facing. We highly recommend it to all who are researching ways to expand their family.”
If you have been waiting in the standard China adoption process, please consider expanding your options with the China Child of Promise Program, possibly getting your wait time cut in half and bringing home a child who desperately needs a family.
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