Names: Towie and Lowie

Lucas (Lowie) and Eli's (Towie) referral photo

First featured in Holt International magazine:  Winter Issue, 2009

Names Today: Lucas and Eli

by Michael and Lori Pickle — Logan, Iowa

Two years ago this month, our family started a journey with Holt to bring our sons home from the Philippines. Our boys actually joined the Holt family months earlier when they were featured in the Waiting Child section of Holt International magazine.

As we look back at that first picture of two little guys holding on to one another, it is amazing to see our growing sons who have grafted into our family so strongly. The physical changes as well as the emotional growth have been monumental.

Anticipating and preparing for older child adoption was a crash course in examining our parenting skills and views on many fronts — discipline, cultural education, family concerns, and even our ages. We have three biological daughters — Alison, 26, Rachel, 21, and Sydney 18 — so the decision to adopt two older boys was definitely a family decision.

When preparing for adoption, one of the many things an adoptive parent learns is that the story of your adoptive child is theirs to share when they are ready. In the case of our sons, Lucas and Eli, they chose early on to embrace their lives in the Philippines and share almost everything with those who were interested.  They also gave us permission to share about our experience with prospective adoptive families.

Lucas and Eli today

Eli and Lucas were 8 and 9 years old when we traveled to Manila to bring them home, having spent five years in an orphanage on Mindanao in the Philippines. They spoke a few words of English, but primarily spoke in Visayan and Tagalog. Within six to eight weeks, they had a very practical grasp of English. As English Language Learning (ELL) students, they continue to delve deeper into more complex words and sentence structures. Academic language comes at a slower rate for most ELL students, but Lucas and Eli are gaining in this area as well.

My boys are now in 3rd and 4th grade. They love playing on the school basketball team and also play summer baseball, Lucas as pitcher and Eli in centerfield.

Learning to be a part of a family is an ever-changing process. Suddenly, Lucas was no longer the oldest, and Eli remains the youngest – much to his dismay. They have both learned what it means to have older sisters. Barring the usual sibling issues, all five of our kids have cemented a relationship with one another that is as fun to watch as it is amazing.

From meeting two fragile and scared orphaned brothers on a hot day in Manila to raising two increasingly independent and confident sons, we are so very grateful for the opportunity to love and live life with our family.

We asked the boys: If you could tell people something about adoption what would you say?

Lucas wants people to know that he still remembers the Philippines and the people he knows there. He also wants people to know that he likes living with his family and his new friends…oh, and baseball is great! Eli, who has turned into our philosopher, says: “I just know that I have a family that I never had, and you take care of me. I like my friends and school. I am smart and I am happy. I have a home.”

Lowie and Towie with their family

Interested in learning more about older children waiting for families in the Philippines?  Click here

Born 8/10/2000 in S.E. Asia

Kiera in March 2011, at 10 years old.

Kiera* is the kind of daughter that every parent dreams of.

Born in S.E. Asia to a very sick mother in August of 2000, Kiera immediately entered the care of a Holt partner organization. At 5 weeks old, she was placed in a foster family, in whose care she has grown into a bright, lovely girl. Kiera is now 11 years old.

Over the past decade, Holt’s partners in S.E. Asia have watched Kiera grow up — visiting her at home every 2 or 3 months, and each time documenting her interests, development and personality.

In March of 2001, when Kiera was 7 months old, the visiting social worker wrote, “She is a cheerful, alert little one.” Two years later, she is described as a “bright, talkative and expressive little girl.” She likes to eat noodles, but not garlic. Her favorite color is pink. And she likes to play in water. As she matures, her social workers – and foster family and teachers – grow increasingly enamored of Kiera. She is thoughtful and kind, gentle with children and helpful at home and school.

In December of 2007, her social worker writes, “She teaches all concerned adults the meaning of love, courage and hope.” A year later, she has this to say about her: “Kiera is a delightful little girl that any parent dreams of.”

Over the previous eight years, Kiera watched her foster siblings leave to join adoptive families. It’s hard to believe that such a dream daughter as Kiera would be passed up by prospective families.

Kiera in 2005, at 5 years old.

But next to many of the glowing comments about Kiera’s personality is a caveat. “She can be a dream daughter of any family,” her social worker writes in March 2007, “except for her HIV.”

Kiera has HIV, transmitted from her mother in the womb.

Although a bit small for her age, Kiera has grown healthy and strong, encountering few if any complications from her illness. She did not even know she was HIV+ until a year ago. When she found out, she worried that people might discriminate against her, but was accepting of her illness. Her foster mom was quick to reassure her that they’ve always known that she had HIV, and have always loved her the same.

Kiera is a well-loved girl who, in turn, treats others with love and kindness.

She deserves a family who will also see what a remarkable girl she is – regardless of her condition. Kiera’s favorite subject in school is science. She loves playing with a toy medical set and she hopes to become a doctor when she grows up. Two years ago, she was chosen as her school’s representative for a math contest, ironically titled “Man of the Math 2009.”

Kiera in March 2007, at 6 and a half.

When Kiera was born 11 years ago, it’s not unreasonable that Holt’s partner in S.E. Asia had trouble finding a family to adopt her. But in the past decade alone, treatment has progressed to the point that children born with HIV are expected to live a normal lifespan. In September 2008, as Kiera’s social workers sat down to write, “We cannot find an adoptive family for a girl with HIV like her,” another little girl, also HIV-positive, was settling into her adoptive family in Illinois. In 2007, Terri and Brad Roback brought home Sachi, the first child with HIV adopted from India.

Like Kiera, Sachi is showing “all concerned adults the meaning of love, courage and hope.” Sachi is a bright, busy, healthy toddler who can grow up to do anything, and everything.

More and more, families are adopting children with HIV. Just this past January, Holt matched another HIV+ child – Nadia*, also from S.E. Asia. What these families are learning is that HIV is no longer a death sentence. It is a chronic, manageable disease.

For Kiera and Sachi and Nadia, the future is a hopeful one. Kiera can grow up to be a doctor. She can even grow up to have her own, healthy children. And as Kiera’s foster parents are getting older and less able to care for her, we also hope that soon, she will find a loving, understanding, permanent family to help her achieve all of her dreams in life – with love, courage and hope.

Kiera will need an adoptive family who not only has access to medical resources, but also is experienced with adoption, has a good understanding of older child adoption, and has the ability to support her through her grief when leaving her foster family.

*names changed

For more information about Kiera, contact Erin Mower at erinm@holtinternational.org.

Wondering what it takes to parent a child with HIV? Click here to read the Robacks’ story.

DOB: 8/1/01 and 3/3/02, Jilin, China

by Robin Munro, Senior Writer

Shen Ying (left) and Shen Jia (right) grew up together as foster brothers.

Two years ago, in November of 2009, we received the following email from Sue Liu, Holt’s (beloved) office manager in Beijing:

Two weeks ago, I went to Jilin (province) where we have had a foster care program for three years. I met three boys whose files are in the CCAA now… All their information has been released many times online, but, for some reason, they have not been matched. All these boys have very good personalities, they like to help others, like to share, like to go to school and get along well with other kids.

All three of the boys were older, and two of them – Shen Ying* and Shen Jia* – grew up together in the same foster home. About these two boys, Sue wrote:

I saw them at their foster home, and both of their foster parents were at home also. They are very close to their foster parents, especially their foster mom. They told me they just call their foster mom “Mom”, and foster dad “Dad”. Every day, after school, their foster mom stays with them and watches them finish their homework. Then they have dinner together. Then, they go walking. All the people think they are a family. Shen Jia and Shen Ying are very good friends, and they call each other “brother.” They are good at math. Like all the boys, they love to play with cars and so one.

At the end of her email, she wrote that she would visit them again soon. She also asked us to help advocate for their adoption, writing, “I do hope we can find families for them, Please!!!”

In March, she wrote again, inquiring about our progress in finding families for these boys. No luck so far.

The following summer, in July of 2010, I traveled to Jilin province with Sue Liu and Jessica Palmer, Holt’s waiting child program manager. Here, we met Shen Ying and Shen Jia. In the months since Sue first wrote about the boys, she had visited them again several times, and they had grown very fond of each other. Upon seeing her, Shen Ying and Shen Jia – dressed exactly alike in matching striped Polo shirts – ran up to Sue and threw their arms around her. They then ran off to play with the other children in the room.

Shen Ying in December 2011.

It was a sweet, sincere moment.

Although not biological brothers, the two boys resembled each other. A year apart in age – one 8, one 9 – they both had telltale scars on their upper lip from cleft lip and palate surgery. Both abandoned within days after they were born, they came to live at the same social welfare institute before joining the same foster family. They had a lot in common, and they grew up, as Sue said, calling each other “brother.”

During our visit, they showed distinct differences in their personalities as well. Although both friendly and exuberant, the older of the two – Shen Ying – seemed a bit more outgoing and expressive. He took more interest in us, and hammed it up, using the props at his disposal – a humongous stuffed bear, a scarf, a long tube – to make us laugh. The younger brother, Shen Jia, kept more to himself.  In child reports, social workers describe Shen Jia as independent, “inner-directed,” disciplined and athletic. They describe Shen Ying as talkative, polite and “good at imitation.” Both boys are described as intelligent, quick learners and diligent, enthusiastic students.

Their foster mom, a warm, youthful woman with long, shiny black hair, also came along for the visit. She seemed proud of her foster sons, and shared with us that they are both their teachers’ favorites in their 2^nd and 3^rd grade classes. They are, she said, very popular with the other children, have excellent manners and help at home. They also sometimes fight “as brothers do.”

“Does he know anyone who’s been adopted?” Jessica asked Sue of Shen Ying, standing nearby.

A photo of Shen Jia from Abbie's recent visit, in December 2011.

Sue then turned the question to Shen Ying, who through translation told us that he loves his foster mother very much, but knows he may be adopted someday.

As we were about to leave, the brothers ran up to hug all of us goodbye – including Jessica and I. They seemed like such good-hearted, intelligent boys, and they left a strong impression on both of us.

A week later, we returned to Oregon and immediately stepped up our efforts to advocate for their adoption. We featured them in the Waiting Child photolisting and on the Holt blog.

But again, no luck. No family. A year passed, and the boys turned 9 and 10.

In December, Abbie Smith – Holt Director of Clinical Services – returned from a trip to China. While there, she also had the chance to visit Shen Ying and Shen Jia and assess their potential for adoption. She visited them at home, with their foster mother at their side.

Her impressions of the two boys reinforced our earlier impressions. She describes Shen Jia as more athletic and less emotionally expressive than his brother. “He acknowledged that his brother is better at relationships,” says Abbie. “He’s better at sports.” She says they seemed very close and accepting of each other, and both expressed the desire to join the same adoptive family.

When the topic of adoption came up, Shen Ying would tear up and briefly leave the room. He feels sad about leaving his foster mother. His brother, meanwhile, was less expressive in his feelings about leaving China, and seemed more resigned.

“Their foster mother wants to stay in touch with the boys after their adoption and it was clear that they want to stay in touch with her,” writes Abbie, who recommends finding a family who “can support their love for their foster mother while they are learning to love their forever family.”

I recently asked Jessica what she remembers about them. “I remember they were super sweet boys, active but not overly so, as active as you would guess for an 8-year-old boy,” she said. “I remember they played well with the other younger kids, and were very attached to their foster mom.”

Without a doubt, Shen Ying and Shen Jia have charmed all of us. They are sweethearts who deserve a family to love and support them in all their endeavors, throughout their lives. Two years after Sue first wrote that pleading email, they are “for some reason” — unknown to us — still waiting.

Who wouldn’t love to raise these boys?

Shen Ying and Shen Jia need a family who can  provide them with access to a craniofacial team to follow-up with speech therapy and further surgeries they will most likely need. Their family should also have experience with adoption and parenting past their ages.

To learn more about Shen Ying and Shen Jia, contact Erin Mower at erinm@holtinternational.org.

* names changed

DOB: April 27, 1998

Sichuan Province, China

In April, Ian will turn 14 and become ineligible for international adoption from China. Eligible and interested families should immediately contact their agency. Holt families should contact Jessica Palmer at jessicap@holtinternational.org. See eligibility requirements below.*

Ian (name changed) entered institutional care when he was 4 years old, in May of 2002. A healthy boy with a “sunny” disposition, Ian was also rather quiet upon admission and tended to stand back and observe his surroundings. At the institute, caregivers quickly enrolled him in a program to help him adjust to his new environment. Here, he got along well with his classmates, and quickly became more talkative and active in the group. The following year, he began primary school near his home at the child welfare institute. He became a diligent student who listened well, eagerly answered questions in class, and regularly completed his homework after school. His teachers all liked him a great deal.

After five years in the institute, Ian went to live with a foster family in July of 2007. Then 9, Ian developed a loving bond with this family, in whose care he continued to grow strong and healthy. He developed a taste for spicy food, honed his basketball skills, and became interested in computer games and remote control toys, as well as drawing and playing the guitar. Described as bright and extroverted, Ian has many friends. His foster mom describes him as “sensible and good.”

Now 13, Ian is in junior high school. He is a serious student with grades that always put him at the head of the class.

Although close to his foster family, Ian understands that his situation is not permanent. Initially, he felt fearful of going to a new place – of feeling lonely, and missing his foster family and friends – but he has grown to understand what it means to join an adoptive family, and now embraces the idea of international adoption.

*Ian has less than four months before he turns 14, at which time he will become ineligible for adoption. Due to the short timeframe to adopt, families must already have a dossier in China or have adopted from China within the past year and have a current USCIS 1800A approval. An ideal family for Ian will have parented past his age and also have previous adoption experience.

by Robin Munro, Senior Writer

Mrs. Choi with Noah on the eighth anniversary of the day he entered her care.

Mrs. Choi hasn’t seen Isaac in more than a decade. Back then, Isaac wore diapers, and went by the Korean name Dong-joon. Since then, Isaac has sprouted into a lanky 13-year-old boy who plays the trumpet and loves Star Wars memorabilia. He now lives in California with his parents and sisters.

Isaac may have been too young to remember Mrs. Choi, but Mrs. Choi sure remembers Isaac. As a Holt foster mother in Korea, Mrs. Choi, Yeong-sun cared for Isaac during the first five months of his life, before he joined his adoptive family in the U.S. and became Isaac Hughes.

Every year, Holt honors two foster mothers for their devoted service to children awaiting adoption in Korea. Holt Korea flies them from Korea to Holt’s headquarters in Eugene, Oregon, where we treat them like royalty for a few days. Every year, we also invite families of children they’ve cared for to a reception in Eugene. Isaac’s family couldn’t travel to Oregon for the event, but they wanted to do something special for Mrs. Choi. So they put together a picture collage of Isaac over the years, including a photo of Mrs. Choi holding Isaac as a baby. “I was hoping that would spark her memory of him,” says Isaac’s mom, Barbara.

They also recorded a video, in which Isaac takes Mrs. Choi on a virtual tour of his room. He shows her his Lego creations, his trophies, his Star Wars collection. She smiles, amused, as she watches the video during the Holt reception. As he begins to play the Korean National Anthem on his trumpet, Mrs. Choi sighs with joy. Although she can’t understand what he says, she understands this melody.

“Thank you for taking care of me when I was a baby,” he says at the end of the video, smiling broadly. It’s clear. Isaac has a good life and a loving family, and Mrs. Choi is so pleased to see that.

“This opportunity to see the kids I’ve cared for grow up so beautifully and strong brings me such joy. I’m so grateful to the parents who’ve love them so well,” says Mrs. Choi, in Korean, after both foster mothers are presented with awards for their service. Sitting beside Mrs. Choi is her fellow honoree, Mrs. Lee, Wol-seop, both of them wearing traditional hanboks.

Holt staff and visiting families applaud Mrs. Lee and Mrs. Choi.

Although Isaac’s family couldn’t make it, two families did travel to Eugene for the event – the Ellisons, from Springfield, OR, whose daughter Lindsay Mrs. Lee cared for as a baby; and the Gibsons, from Olympia, WA, whose son Noah was in Mrs. Choi’s care.

Today is a particularly serendipitous day for Mrs. Choi and Noah’s reunion. “We think that today is eight years to the day that he came into Mrs. Choi’s care,” says Noah’s mom, Christy, as Noah plays with a remote control truck – a gift from Mrs. Choi. Noah entered foster care the day after he was born. Yesterday was Noah’s eighth birthday.

Bill and Christy Gibson met Mrs. Choi once before, when they traveled to Korea to pick up their son a little less than eight years ago. “It was so heart-wrenching,” Christy says of the moment Mrs. Choi said goodbye to the little boy she had nurtured for the first five months of his life.

“To raise a child like that, knowing you’d have to give that child up, is something I don’t think I could do,” says Paul Kim, Holt’s director of programs for Korea. “Holt Korea loses the most foster moms after the first child. It’s too hard.”

Mrs. Choi confided to Paul that after saying goodbye to her first several foster children, she was ready to quit. But she couldn’t resist the opportunity to care for just one more.

One more turned into another one and then another. Since 1995, Mrs. Choi has cared for 67 children. Mrs. Lee, 312.

“The caring for these children is truly something that I love,” Mrs. Lee says after the award ceremony. “I’m thankful to all of you for honoring me in this way.” Lindsay Ellison, now 14, was one of the first children Mrs. Lee cared for as a foster mother. Her whole family remembers and ask about her, in particular Mrs. Lee’s two sons, who grew very fond of Lindsay during the months she spent in their home.

Lindsay Ellison, 14, with her former foster mom, Mrs. Lee.

Through translation, Mrs. Lee shares the things she remembers about Lindsay. She remembers that she smiled a lot, and that she sunburned easily in the summer. At home, she has photos of Lindsay with her sons and family. “I always hoped to meet her,” she says.

Mrs. Lee’s mention of her sons’ fondness for Lindsay underscores a point made earlier by Paul. The whole foster family raises the children, he says. It’s often just as hard for the foster family to say goodbye as it is for the foster mother.

The love and care these families provide is truly in a category unto itself.

Over 40 years ago, Holt played a major role in developing the Korean model of foster care – a model of attentive, nurturing care later adopted by many other countries. In the U.S., the term “foster care” has such a negative connotation that the Korean system deserves a different name, says Paul. In Korea, fostering a child is considered an honor. Some families have been caring for children for 35 years. Some also pass the torch to their children who, seeing how wonderful it is, choose to become foster parents themselves – becoming, in a sense, “second-generation” foster families.

For the children, the value of foster care is both immediate and long-term. Foster families provide a nurturing attention that children rarely find in orphanage settings. When placed into the warm, soft arms of a Mrs. Choi or Mrs. Lee, they immediately feel safe and comforted. When they cry, someone responds – and with a consistency they can rely on. In an orphanage full of crying infants, caregivers are often too overwhelmed to attend to every child’s needs. Study after study has proven, however, that such devoted care is essential to a child’s development. In that way, foster care serves a lasting purpose in the lives of children. It helps them achieve developmental milestones, and to form healthy attachments – easing the bonding process with their adoptive parents as well.

“There is no point in their lives that they haven’t been truly loved – from their birth mother to their foster family to their adoptive family,” says Paul.

Although Noah was too young to remember Mrs. Choi, his parents made a point of imparting the significance of her role in his life. “When I said, ‘your foster mom is going to be here, do you know who that is?’ he said, ‘yes, that’s the woman who took care of me,’ ” says Christy.

Seeing Noah, Lindsay and Isaac happy, healthy and strong is enough for Mrs. Choi and Mrs. Lee. They don’t need recognition to continue fostering children. But they deserve it.

And even though letting go of children never gets easier, the joy is worth the heartache.

“Caring for the children just brings such happiness and joy to me,” says Mrs. Choi. “That must be why I keep doing it.”

Birthday:  November 12, 2002

Southeast Asia

by Ashli Keyser, managing editor

We’ve all heard it said: the only constant in life is change. We know change will occur. Sometimes change is welcome. Other times change in life — big or small — is hard to embrace. We get into the habit of doing things a certain way and struggle when circumstances change. We attempt to stay positive, and with prayer and patience, we try to make it through. It’s tough and frustrating. But somehow, we always manage to come out the other side, maybe even better off than when we started.

But, still, the facts stay the same. Change can be difficult.

Now, imagine for a moment what change must be like for a child. How might a child be affected by ongoing instability and uncertainty? Children, even young children, can sense change in their lives. They know when something is different. They are deeply affected by change. And yet, at the same time, children are resilient. They are brave and strong. But change is tough, even for them.

At just 3 days old, Bethany was brought to an orphanage. Her mother was unable to care for her, and she remained at the orphanage for 4 years. During this time, her caretakers described her as a solemn girl, rarely smiling or laughing.

Then, in 2006, Bethany joined a loving foster family. Here, she began to smile. She began to laugh and communicate. “How are you feeling today?” she would often ask her foster mother. For a moment, things for Bethany seemed to be moving in the right direction. Then, once again, life changed for Bethany. Members of Bethany ’s foster family became ill, and Bethany went to live with another family. The transition was difficult for Bethany, but she carried on and eventually found love in her new home.

Today, Bethany enjoys coloring and writing, playing with Barbies and listening to music. She is said to be very talkative and mostly happy. She’s “the girl with the great sense of humor,” says her social worker. Bethany puts her toys away when she’s done with them, folds her own clothes and can make her bed and feed herself.

Currently on medication for hyperactivity, Bethany struggles in school. The uncertainty in Bethany ’s life has led to trust issues, causing emotional outbursts and behavioral problems. “ Bethany wants attention and love,” says Jessica Palmer, Holt’s waiting child manager, who met Bethany earlier this year. “ Bethany will reject the love of others until she feels comfortable, until they have passed her test.” Home school might be the best option for Bethany.

For now, Bethany has found stability in the arms of a loving foster family. But this is only a temporary home. If a loving family can’t be found for Bethany, she may have to return to the orphanage.

If we can find Bethany a family, we can prevent this from happening!

It’s true, going home to a permanent family in the United States would mean one more change in Bethany ’s life, but it’s a change that Bethany looks forward to. She understands adoption and has heard that a family might be out there for her.

Bethany is a brave and resilient little girl. Yes, she has struggled. Her emotions sometimes get the better of her. When dealing with constant change, we all struggle. But we all come out the other side. We all somehow make it through. And Bethany will make it through too. She just needs a family to be there for her….no matter what.

Should Bethany find that forever family, she will no doubt experience the changes that come with a new home and new surroundings. Change is a part of life, and Bethany will still have to deal with her fair share of it. But in a permanent family, Bethany will experience the changes in life in a place of love and encouragement. And it will be a love that remains forever……a love that will never change.

Birthday:  08/22/1999

From the Philippines

In May, six volunteer ambassadors from the United States traveled to the Philippines to meet 11 older children – 10 boys and one girl. After getting to know the children, the ambassadors returned to the states and began advocating for the children’s adoptions at their churches and through presentations in their area. Already, the ambassadors have helped 5 of the children find their families. Six children remain.

* Marcus is among them.

At 12 years old, Marcus has often wondered why he hasn’t been adopted yet. When the Philippines ambassador trip concluded, Marcus cried when he had to say goodbye to his new friends, but hoped that a family from the United States would come for him soon. Six months later, he still waits.

Marcus is active, caring and fun-loving. “He has a very good heart,” says his social worker. He got along well with the other children and liked receiving attention from the traveling ambassadors. During arts and crafts time, Marcus enjoyed painting a T-shirt. On the shirt he included a picture of the world and an airplane. “I want to be a pilot someday, so I can give people rides,” he tells the ambassadors.

According to his social worker, Joaquin knows how to test limits at times. He has some learning delays and cognitive challenges, but concentrates well during activities.

Marcus needs an experienced and patient adoptive family — a family who will encourage his strengths and talents, and also provide the right resources to help him with his challenges. It’s best if he is placed as the youngest in the family.

Do you know someone who might be interested in adopting Marcus? Please share his story on Facebook, Twitter and on your blog!

Contact Danielle Walter at daniellew@holtinternational.org

*Name Changed

Travis is today’s featured waiting child.

Born July 27, 2004

From East Africa

Why do bad things happen to good people?

This phenomenon continues to puzzle the wisest among us. Some of us seek solace in our faith in God. Others seek a more philosophical explanation. But most of us, regardless of our beliefs, struggle to accept it – especially when bad things happen to a child.

Children act in innocence. They are neither good nor bad.  They are unformed.

Like many of the children we advocate for at Holt, Travis* started life with odds greatly stacked against him. His mother was mentally ill and could not care for him. At 3-days-old, the state took him into care for his own protection.

At the care center, Travis grew strong and healthy. He learned to speak Luganda, his native language, as well as English.  He developed a love for singing and dancing, learned to recite the alphabet without help, and to count from 1-20 without difficulty.

He developed an outgoing, expressive personality, often initiating conversation with his classmates and adults.  “Travis speaks so clearly and his speech is so good,” writes one of his caregivers. In school, he discovered the art of storytelling, and began to cultivate his skills. He also loves football and building with blocks.

Today, Travis is in the top class at his school.

“He loves people and makes friends easily,” his caregiver writes. “He is a highly independent and hard-working child.”

Playful and friendly and “interesting to be with,” Travis is popular with the other children. He loves attention, and actively seeks it.

In many ways, Travis has overcome the circumstances into which he was born. At the care center, he found the stability and nurturing care he needed to thrive. Many good things have happened to him here, and he has developed good and noble traits in turn.

Some bad things have happened to Travis as well. At the care center, he tested positive for HIV. Fortunately, he is responding well to treatment. He also learned some bad behaviors from other children.

When reading Travis’ child reports, remember that these things happened to Travis – he did not choose them. He is still a child, acting in innocence. And the good choices he’s made and good personality traits he’s developed, when nurtured by a loving, supportive, stable family, will ultimately set the course for his life.

For more information about Travis, contact Erin Mower at erinm@holtinternational.org.

* name changed

Wondering what it takes to raise a child with HIV?

With treatment, kids born with HIV today are expected to live a normal lifespan.  “She can do everything. She can get married.  She can have children.  She can be in the Olympics.  She can do anything anyone else can do,” Holt adoptive mom Terri Roback says of her daughter, Sachi.  In 2007, Terri and Brad Roback became HIV adoption pioneers when they brought home Sachi, the first child with HIV adopted from India. Click here to read their story.