Our letters to Ellen & Oprah

(Limited to 1500 words or less...I wish I could have said more! )

I am a fulltime RN& my husband is a stay at home dad.We have five children,2 biological and 3 adopted.Our two youngest have Down syndrome.I am asking for your help.We have committed to adopt a little girl with DS in Eastern Europe.With recent events d/t the woman returning her son to Eastern Europe by himself,we are in a rush to get there before any of the laws change.We don't know what the future will hold.Due to this rush,we do not have the time to raise funds as we had planned& apply for grants.Yana's adoption is going to cost 25-30k.We have sent some money, but are in urgent need of at least $8k to travel by the end of this month.Please help us to save our angel.She has spent most of her life in an orphanage.Children with special needs are sent to institutions at the age of 4 in most countries.Please help us save her before she is sentenced.Feel free to visit our blog at www.savinganangel.blogspot.com God bless you!!







Oprah,

I just wanted to try to do everything I can. For this is not a request for a new home or a new car...this is a request to help me save my daughters life. I am a mother and a wife. My husband and I have five beautiful children and one in heaven. Our three youngest children are adopted-one is Autisitic and two have Down syndrome. Our angel in Heaven has Down syndrome and died at the age of 37 days after open heart surgery. I work full time as an RN and my husband is a stay at home Dad, we felt this was important to meet the needs of our children.
My oldest daughter is 15, a beautiful young woman that gets great grades and is active in sports and school. My 12 year old son is active in football and his games. He is also very smart. Our 9 year old is funny and loves his numbers. He is Autistic. He came to us at the age of four-he couldn't talk and still wore diapers. He is now going into the 3rd grade and is talking and learning. Our 7 year old has Down syndrome. He has a lot of health issues and a behavioral issues related to the pregnancy not his Down syndrome. He is Mommy's buddy and seeks me out when he is sad. Our 4 year old has Down syndrome. He is smart and loving. He has this wonderful disposition that just makes everyone smile. He died on my husbands lap when he was almost 2. He was brought back to us...he later had open heart surgery (with an aicd placement) and is now thriving with us all. He is truly a miracle. Our angel in Heaven...I miss her so. She was born with two different types of DS and congenital heart defects. I spent almost five weeks with her in the PICU...I came back to Ohio to see my oldests confirmation and she died while I was gone. I will never forgive myself for leaving.
Now on to my daughter that needs your help. A few months ago I found her angelic face on www.reecesrainbow.org and I fell in love. After speaking with my family and them reaching an agreement, we committed to her. There have been issues for example, her region only allows for 35 referrals a year, knocking out many agencies to facilitate her adoption. Then finding an agency to do the adoption. Then the lady sent her son back to Eastern Europe by himself on the plane. This situation alone has caused many issues for us adoptive parents. My husband and I have only one income and we do fine...this adoption just requires a lot of planning and fighting...we thought we had time. All of our adoptions have occurred here in the United States...this is the first time for a Russian adoption. Since the incident with the boy being sent back, things have been crazy. We have planned fundraisers and are anxiously awaiting our copy of our homestudy to apply for grants... We received an email that stated they want us to travel at the end of June to see our daughter for the first time and we do not have the money. We need at least $8000 to travel. The entire adoption costs $25 to 30k. Since this rush in travel...we do not know what we are going to do. If we don't go, we have no idea when we will have the chance again if ever.
I love this little girl so much. I know deep in my heart that she needs us. She needs to be saved. Orphanage life is not a great life. She deserves to have a family. Children with special needs are usually transferred to an institution at the age of four, many not making it after the first year. We may not be a perfect family, but we could be the perfect family for our dear Yana. She is only two years old. She has spent most of her time in an orphanage, never having her own blanket or her own doll. Never having her own Mommy to kiss her goodnight or a Daddy to sing to her. We want to give her that. We want to give her a family. Please Oprah, help us. Help us to save our Yana. Feel free to visit our blog at www.savinganangel.blogspot.com and our fsp page at http://www.reecesrainbow.org/sponsorsmith2.html Feel free to call me at 740-454-**** or 740-819-****. Also, please visit Reece's Rainbow and learn the plight of the many homeless children. Also, please tell everyone you know to help our family and the many other families in the middle of thier adoption journey. God bless you!!!!!

Sincerely,
Lisa Smith