Cystic Fibrosis...

Cystic Fibrosis is an inherited disease that effects the lungs, digestive system, and liver. To me I just think about what our lungs do for our body. Pushing air through the lungs to keep them clear of mucus build up and also aiding in the digestive process and so forth. A better and more medical explanation on the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation web site . It was the first place I went to do research about CF before we agreed to adopt Kristina.

Our daughter was born with Cystic Fibrosis and we adopted her one month and four days after she turned four. She was tiny and at the time of our adoption time she was getting so sick that I doubted she would make it home to the US or if she would need to go back into the hospital in her country. I was very scared for her. We met the staff that took care of her in the hospital, and one of the doctors knew Kristina's current doctor her in the US. It was a God thing!!! And they thought she would make it okay!

Anyway, we made it to the States and her doctor wanted to put her in the hospital and I BEGGED him to let us try to treat her at home. We did and a month and a half later her doctor declared her lungs MIRACULOUSLY clear!!! Who does miracles? God does!! We had faith that God would help Kristina... Kristina is not cured, CF is a basically a terminal condition. I do not think about that, I just enjoy her day by day. None of us know when we will die...it could be tomorrow?

You ask why would we adopt a child that may die young? Well, we knew that the medicine in the US would help her a great deal and prolong her life. For me, since about the age of six I have wanted to be a mother...and begged God for children!! I would tell him it was okay you could drop a baby on our doorstep I would be it's mother! And later after I married it was hard to see family and friends have children! But, I was ALWAYS so happy for them!!! Every year that I was getting older I thought it was never going to happen, I was never to become a mother. I knew that if God wanted me to I would know. I tried to get a grip on the fact that motherhood eluded me! When we adopted her we had trouble getting her visa to come to the US! I knew that she would die without treatment and without a visa we (Kristina and a parent) would have to stay in her country for two YEARS!! I prayed and asked God to save her, but if he chose not to I thanked him so much for allowing me to be a mother! I never asked God for a time frame of how long I wanted to be a mother, but to please I just wanted to be one and God answered my prayer!

Hubby and I started to think about adoption. We talked about it a LOT! Then we signed up with our county to maybe adopt kids in our foster care system. We did the home study and classes. But something was NOT right! It was hard to explain...God was closing that door. Then we talked about adopting internationally. Oh my, the funds that are needed to do that are absolutely ridiculous!!! Anyway, we got over that and we decided to go to Eastern Europe and adopt a little girl about 2. We started to get our dossier and such ready and the country we wanted to adopt from closed their doors to US families. Okay another closed door, literally!!

So, one day on a break at work I was looking through some saved websites and found a photo listing of Kristina. Oh my! Right away I started to do research about CF and found out that the hospital I worked at was accredited with the CF foundation!! Well, we committed to adopting Kristina and brought her home nine months later. (She had many more miraculous stories with her adoption as well!)

When you look at her, you would never know she has CF. If you look closely at her hands you can see a LOT of scar tissue build up from all the times in the hospital in her country. It is VERY hard to get blood because of that. Other then that she is awesome and healthy!! :)

Why am I telling you all of this? Well the reason is that there are 2 little (almost 2 and a three yr old) children with CF in an Eastern European country. They are healthy right now, but certainly without treatment they will die. Grim I know! Kristina's biological brother died because he had CF...he was a toddler when he died. So how can you help? I can get you in touch with a lady who is advocating for them and she can tell you more info about them. Having kids with CF takes a little bit of work...Kristina does her nebulizer and vest treatments twice a day in the morning and at night. Sometimes we have to do it more when she sounds like she needs it. The vest is a pressure system that vibrates and helps move the mucus around and away from her lungs...basically doing what healthy lungs would do. And she takes a few medications and a special vitamin. No biggie. She goes to the CF doctor four times a year to make sure she is healthy! Beats going into the hospital! Doesn't really cause her any problems other then having to get up a bit early for school.

If you don't want to adopt them you can always donate to help keep down the costs for the parents who commit to adopting them. If you can't do that then PLEASE pray for their health and the parents that God wants them to have! And I know that EVERYONE can pray! Love your kids that God blessed you with and think of those who need parents!!