Maria's Story

“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.'"

....this story continued from HERE.....

Four children: three sisters and a brother.

Four precious children.

Traci Heim met them last summer while traveling across their country for Project Hopeful.   Their internat director allowed Traci to take their picture and interview them, in the hope that Project Hopeful could help find a Stateside family to adopt them.

All four children were together in the same internat.  The oldest was 16 at the time, and the youngest was 4.

They had been orphans since 2009, when they were found abandoned at a shelter.  No one knew where their father was.  The courts deprived their mother of her parental rights.

Four children.  All alone in the world, except for one another.

When people look at this picture, a lot of them immediately fall in love with the littlest.  I did.  She is absolutely precious, and seeing her picture makes me want to reach in and bring her right into my house.

And Traci definitely fell in love with her cute little self.  Her name is Vika (4), and she is quite spoiled.  When Traci asked her what she liked, she said "candy." That fits.

Alina (9) has a personality that doesn't match her serious picture.  Traci says that Alina is a spitfire.  Her goals in life are to watch TV and play all day.  Although she's very athletic, she told Traci that she doesn't like sports.  Spitfire.  I love her already.  

Traci didn't really get to talk much to the boy, Sasha.  He was involved in a soccer game, so he couldn't be bothered with a silly thing like posing for a photo that might help find him a home.  He's a tough boy, made even tougher by the grim circumstances of his life.  But there is a tender side to him, a little boy inside that rough exterior.

Then there is Maria.

And here is where I have to slow my story down.

When Traci first shared about these four kids-- when I first saw their picture on her blog-- when she first indicated that she was trying to find a family for them-- I did what I think most people do: I focused on the younger three.  I saw their potential.  I saw that they were young enough, and that adopting them would not be too hard.

But Maria?

Well, I was dismayed about Maria.  She was17 years old, almost ready to go out on her own.

I looked at Maria, and I wondered how in the world I would advocate for someone to adopt her.  

I wanted to support Traci.  I wanted to help her find a family for these kids.  I would do anything to pay Traci back for the way she helped me when we were adopting Aaron.  But goodness.... a family of FOUR children? And the oldest is SEVENTEEN?

I couldn't get past Maria's age.

I wrote her off as unadoptable.

But God knew that Maria was not unadoptable.

Just a few weeks after Traci posted about these four kids on her blog-- after she advocated for them, and thought that she had done all that she could for them-- she and Scott looked at each other and, in a unified YES, realized that THEY were these four children's parents.

They wanted them.

And not just because of Vika, Alina and Sasha-- although they loved them dearly.

It was Maria who broke their hearts.

Maria, who has a carried a terribly heavy load on her too-young shoulders.  Maria, who's lived a life of chaos and confusion.  Abandoned by her parents, who dumped the load of responsibility for all of their children onto their eldest.  Trying to lay that load down at the orphanage, but finding it hard because orphanages are not really places where girls can lay down their burdens.  Attending school, but struggling because of all the time that she's missed.

And drawing ever closer to the age of 18, the age when she will no longer be legally adoptable.  The fearsome age when she will receive a bag, some clothes and a wee bit of money, then be sent out into the world to fend for herself-- with no skills, no family and no home. 

Shy.  Embarrassed by her looks, and by the behavior of her siblings.

Maria stood with Traci, quietly answering the questions that she asked her.  Knowing that this lady was trying to find families for orphans like her.  Probably not too hopeful for herself, but holding her breath in the hope that the little ones might find a family.

At first, Maria gave safe, careful answers to Traci's questions.  She was protecting herself against the danger of disappointment.  But when Traci persisted, Maria finally spilled out the desire of her heart: "I would like a mom and a dad."

I WOULD LIKE A MOM AND A DAD.

At 17 years old, sweet, sensitive Maria doesn't want riches, beautiful clothing or fast cars: She just wants a family.

For herself. 

She wants to lay down the heavy load of being both Mom and Dad to her brother and sisters, and she wants another chance to have a Mom and Dad of her own.  She wants someone to care about her, someone she can depend on.

She just wants a chance to be a little girl.

And by God's Grace, Traci and Scott Heim want to be her parents.  They want to let her be a little girl again.  They want to bring all four of these children into their already-full house.

How the Heims humble me.

Traci first posted about Maria and her siblings at the beginning of January.  I didn't post about them then because I couldn't get past Maria's age.  I wanted to support Traci's endeavor, but I kept dragging my feet.

Then in the middle of January, Traci started a giveaway to raise money for Maria and her siblings, and again I was confronted with them.  Again, I balked.  What family could ever adopt four children at once, the oldest of which is 17?

Less than two weeks later, Traci and Scott themselves committed to adopting all four children, and it was then that the Lord exposed my heart. 

It was then that I realized that I needed to re-think the older child.  That I had been writing older children off-- seeing them as beyond hope.

Yes, I was advocating for Jack, who was a bit older. But Jack is 12.  Maria is 17. 

Thinking about Maria's story was what led me to write Millie's story.

Maria's story was the main reason I started advocating for Laurel.

 Bernadette.

and Duncan.

UPDATE!!!!! DUNCAN HAS A FAMILY!!!!! PRAISING GOD AT OUR HOUSE!

.

Maria's story is the reason my heart was broken for Sam-- who, by God's grace, now has a family.

Maria's story opened my heart so that I could truly see all of the older kids on Reece's Rainbow who need someone to be their voice.  Until Maria, I was closed. 

Maria just wants a Mom and Dad, a family that she can call her own.  She is not too old for a family, any more than Laurel and Bernadette are too old for families.  I certainly hope that no one ever decides that I'm too old to have a family, because I couldn't stand it.  My dear friend Millie was written off too, but look what the Lord did in Millie's life.  

With God's help, Maria and her siblings are going to be crossing the ocean soon.  Our Mulligan Stew is for them.  It is also for Bernadette, Laurel and Jack.  Older children.  Hard to place children. 

Children who just want a mom and dad. 

---------------------------------------------------------

Many kinds of children are going to share our Mulligan Stew-- older children, desperately needy children, the Lost Boys and others.  Knowing the way that God multiplies our tiny offerings, I have no doubt that we will have enough to go around-- even though there are many at the table.

“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.'"

....to be continued....

Through Our Valley

“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’"



In mid-July 2010, Rob, Elijah and I flew across the ocean to bring Aaron home.

From reading about everyone else's adoption experiences in Aaron's country, we thought we knew what to expect.  Our plan was to find Aaron, sign some papers, go to court, and then send Rob and Elijah home. After a court-required waiting period, Ben would fly over to help me bring Aaron home.  The whole affair was supposed to last about 4-6 weeks.  

By the end of August, Aaron would be stepping off the plane into his new life in America.

We had everything planned.  We were good to go.

Unfortunately, nothing about our adoption process happened according to conventional wisdom.  Within the first hour after we got off the plane, our finely-tuned plans went out the window, and we were forced to go into survival mode.  

When we arrived, the country was suffering under a record heat wave.  The driver who picked us up knew absolutely no English, and couldn't answer any of our questions.  He didn't provide us with a cell phone, as he was supposed to.  I can't tell you how vulnerable I felt without a phone.

Instead of taking us into the local grocery store and helping us with our purchases, he dropped us off at the market door and drove away.  We had to figure out the market all on our own, knowing nothing of the language, then find our own way back to our apartment in a strange city-- all with no way to contact anyone if we got into trouble or got lost.

Our first apartment was a blistering 109 degrees, but at least it had a fan and internet service.  The next day,  without any explanation, another non-English speaking driver arrived to transfer us to another apartment. Someone must have thought that this new apartment would be a big improvement over the old one, but instead it was worse: It was just as hot, but it had neither a fan nor internet service.

It was a rough beginning.  We were jet-lagged, alone and a bit stunned.

But God had not brought us that far to leave us alone and lonely in that country.  He knew exactly what we would need to survive.

On our second afternoon in the city, after we had finally figured out our phone situation, we met up with another disoriented and jet-lagged American family.  They had arrived a day behind us, and had their own crazy mishap stories to share.  We were standing on the sidewalk with them, trying to figure out which way we should go to find food.  We were all hungry, hot and tired.  We wanted to get out of the heat and into a restaurant that had cooler temperatures.  We were not naive enough to think that there would be cold drinks, but we were prepared to settle for anything wet.  

There we were: Five confused Americans standing on a busy street in an utterly foreign capital city, trying to find our way around without knowing how to read the simplest street sign. Not lost, but not headed in any particular direction.

Just standing there.

When out of the blue, this boisterous man comes crashing into our disoriented party and asks if we are Americans.

I wish I had a video of our reactions.  We all just stood there and looked at him.  Who was this guy? What did he want?  Was this a trick question, the beginning of some huckster story designed to pry money from our wallets?  

Whoever he was, he seemed to guess from our reactions that we were a bit uncomfortable. So he tried another question: Are you adopting?  Reece's Rainbow? 

Light bulbs.

 I don't know how I figured out who he was, but all of a sudden I did.  

He was Scott Heim.

I had been following the Heims' blog.  I knew their story. Their tragedy.

I was stunned.

In all of that vast city, we happened to be in the right place at the right time to run into just about the only American I would have recognized, Scott Heim.

Only by God's grace.

Scott was neither jet-lagged nor disoriented, and he had been living in that city long enough to know just about everything.  He led the five of us to the nearest pizza restaurant, talking a mile a minute. He settled us into chairs, helped us order and then took off running down the street.  Thirty minutes later, he came blazing back into the restaurant with his dear sweet wife Traci and one of their precious daughters in tow.

To meet them in that way seemed almost surreal.

I knew their story; I had been praying for them for weeks. I knew that tragedy had struck their adoption process.



They had crossed the ocean to adopt the sweetest little girl. They had met her and loved her. They wanted her, and she wanted them.  All was going according to plan.  But when they went before the judge, their adoption suddenly hit an immovable wall.  For no good reason, their judge turned them down cold, and they had to walk away from the little girl who had captured their hearts.

I was in Virginia packing for our own trip when I heard the news that the Heims had lost Nastia.  I wept.  I sent them messages of support.  I stormed heaven for them and for Nastia.

I also marveled at their faith.  Their submissive spirit. Their ability to entrust their beloved Nastia to God's care.  Their willingness to remain in country and pursue another child, when most people would have felt completely justified to go home in bitterness and defeat.

I knew they were still in country.  I knew they were pursuing another child, but it had not even crossed my mind that our paths would cross. At that time, there were no Reece's Rainbow Facebook groups to keep families tied together while in country.  I had no idea where they were, and hadn't even considered that I would ever meet them.

But God had not brought us all the way to that country to leave us alone and lonely.  And He knew that I needed to meet Traci Heim.

Like us, the Heims had been through their SDA appointment, and were waiting to pick up their referral papers so that they could meet their little girl.  We were with them that night and again the next day as we waited to pick up our papers together.  In those short meetings, the Lord knitted our hearts together as we shared our stories.

They had just gone through their dark valley.

We were just getting ready to enter ours.

Our next week would be one of the roughest of our lives. Our encounter with Aaron's former world shook us to the core.  The shock of being introduced to the way he and the other boys in his institution lived was a life-changing experience, one that I will never forget.

I'll be honest: I didn't handle that shock with amazing fortitude.  I wasn't a tower of strength.  Even though I kept it together on the outside, on the inside I was a blubbering mess.  And it was Traci Heim who bore the brunt of my terror.

They were far away in another part of the country, falling in love with the sweetest little girl in the world.



Yet Traci was willing to spend hours on the phone with me that week, talking me down from the ledge.  I sobbed my heart out to her more than once.  Through scripture, prayer and just listening to my woes, Traci helped me get through one of the very hardest weeks of my life.  When we were sent home empty-handed and terrified that we would lose Aaron, she was the one I called.  Her experience helped us walk through our valley.

Because of the kindness and generosity they showed us, the Heim family is very near and dear to our hearts.

They love the Lord deeply and seek to follow Him in everything they do.

All six of their beautiful children are adopted.

********

So why am I sharing all of this, during the week when I am supposed to be talking about our Mulligan Stew Giveaway?

For the past several years, Traci has been part of Project Hopeful, a ministry that advocates for the adoption of children with HIV/AIDS.  

Last year, Tracey crossed the waters once again as a Project Hopeful representative.  She traveled throughout that country visiting orphanages and speaking on behalf of the orphan, especially orphans with HIV/AIDS.

She was able to see their precious Nastia whom they were denied and discovered that she was again available for adoption.

(But before they could file papers to adopt Nastia, another wonderful family stepped forward.  

Nastia is now happily living on this side of the ocean, and Traci and Scott are blessed to be in contact with her family.) 

And while she was there, she met these four orphans.

Four children: Three sisters and a brother.

And God broke Traci's heart.

“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’"

...... to be continued .....

The Least of These

“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'

'The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’"

Our Mulligan Stew fundraiser continues to simmer. Today we're trying to remind everyone about a new group of people whom our stew will be feeding: The Lost Boys.

We adopted Aaron out of a faraway mental institution hidden in the middle of nowhere.

The things that we saw at Aaron's former home broke our hearts, as we have said many times.

We have looked long and hard for ways to reach out and help the poor, helpless boys that we left behind at Aaron's former institution, the ones we call the Lost Boys. The drudgery and hopelessness of their lives is almost beyond imagination.

When we left that place, only two of the Lost Boys - Brady and Heath - were available for adoption. A wonderful family stepped up to adopt Brady: the Hartmans, who renamed their boy Judd.

(before and after)
   

Poor Heath is still waiting for his family.

Now we know of at least one more adoptable Lost Boy: Hanson, who was transferred to Aaron's former institution and placed in one of its lying down rooms.

We would love to see a generous portion of our Mulligan Stew go to these two Lost Boys.

Heath and Hanson

We don apron and chefs hats for them. They are truly the "least of these":  They will be forever lost without our help.

We just can't forget about them, stuck over there in that miserable place, rocking back and forth day after lonely day. We just can't pretend that they don't exist, or that they don't matter. They do exist, and they do matter.

We cook our Mulligan Stew for these little guys.

Not only for Heath and Hanson.

But also for those Lost Boys who are not available for adoption, and probably never will be. 

 The 108 boys who will probably never leave Aaron's former institution until they are transferred to a mental institution for adults-- a facility that most of them will never, ever leave.  

We cook for them.  We weep as we stir, adding our tears to the ingredients of our stew. We weep to remember those poor boys who are forced to while away their youths in lonely sheds day after dull, endless day.

We cook for them.  

Our Lost Boys.

They are part of our Mulligan Stew.

“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

.....to be continued....

Whatever You Did

"Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.  For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in,  I needed clothes and you  clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’


'Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink?  When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you?  When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'


'The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’"

Our Mulligan Stew fundraiser continues to simmer.  These things take time.  

While we wait for our stew to cook, I want everyone to know whom our stew will be feeding: Who are the hungry, the thirsty, the sick?  Who are in need of clothes?  Who are sick, imprisoned, and in need of visits?  Who needs our help?

This, too, will take time.  There are stories to be told, explanations to be given.  

  It's not as if Rob and I are master chefs-- quite the opposite.  Our lack of culinary skill is notorious.  Whenever there's a big family gathering, Rob's Mom tries to spare our feelings by assigning us to bring bakery rolls, chips, sodas and napkins.  We're not exactly noted for our fundraising ability, either.  What makes us think we can make a good Mulligan Stew?

As I said, there are stories to be told.

Over the coming days I want to share some of these stories-- the reasons why we picked up our spoons and donned our aprons.

These stories begin with a whole host of children who are living in an orphanage across the ocean.  This particular orphanage is not in the same country where Aaron lived.  It is a place that has been under the radar for a very long time.   It is a place where children were neglected, starved and abandoned.  A place where, because of neglect, children grew in age, but not in stature.  A place of sorrow and despair, of corruption, secrets and lies.  A place of death.

But God heard the cries of those wee ones who lay dying in their faraway cribs.

And so He caused one little lost girl to be found.

Katie.

  

Tiny, starved, nine-year-old Katie.  

Found.  

And because Katie was found, the shadowy doors of that sinister place have been flung wide open.  The darkness is being forced to flee.  The secrets, lies and corruption that held those poor lost children captive are being exposed. 

The 240 starved babes lying in those cribs now have hope, and some are even finding families.

Every single child from that terrible place who was listed for adoption after Katie's family found her HAS ALSO FOUND A FAMILY.

EVERY SINGLE ONE.  Praise be to the Father of the Fatherless for hearing those babies' cries.

There are many more who still need to be listed for adoption.  We are praying that they will all be listed.  We are praying that God will continue to raise up families to go and bring them home.

But for now, we rejoice: Every child who is available already has a family coming!!

There are currently12 families working hard to cross the ocean to rescue 17 wee ones out of that orphanage.  How can we not don chef's hat and apron for them?  How can we look away when these families are sacrificing so much to get 17 of the LEAST OF THESE out?  How can we go about our days carelessly when we know that they desperately need our prayers, our support, our encouragement?  

These are precious, precious kids. Before we start serving out our Mulligan Stew, we'd like to spend some time introducing the little lost babes who need our help. 

Meet Keith (4).

Keith's Papa just met him a few weeks ago.  In that country, the process entails crossing the ocean to meet the child, spending a week in country, then going home and waiting for several months before returning to bring the child home.  Keith's Papa got to meet him, hold him and love on him.

This wee one is almost five years old, but is still too small to fit into an 18-month-sized sleeper.  He has been completely isolated for the last two years.  Just Keith and the four walls.  It tore his Papa's heart out to leave him.  Soon, little guy.  Soon.

(Keith's family is adopting not only Keith, but also FOUR other children from different orphanages.  Keith's condition is by far the worst.)

   

Meet Teddy (7), Val (7), and Steward (8 1/2).

Three little boys who are soon to be brothers.  Their Mama and Papa are waiting to cross the ocean for the first time so that they can snatch them out of their cribs and hold them and love them.  We are praying that this happens soon.  

  

Meet Angelina Mariana (5).

Teeny tiny at five years old.  Like Kevin, she's already met her Mama, and is just waiting in her crib for the day when the law allows her Mama to return and carry her out of there for good.  

  

Meet Samantha (7)

Seven years old and tiny.  Her Mama is going to meet her soon.  Soon, baby girl.  Soon.

 

Meet  Kelten (12) and Teagan (4 1/2).

These two boys are going to be meeting their Mama and big sister for the first time this week!!

Yes, the picture of Kelten is current.  He really is twelve years old!  They are tiny and desperately needy!  They are going into a special family with a very special sister... Her name is CARRINGTON and she knows what it is to be abandoned and alone in a crib all day.  But now she is a chubby, sassy little girl and soon her brothers are going to join her.  What a bunch of fun chaos that is going to bring!!

 

Meet Ian (2-1/2). 

Isn't he precious beyond words???  Goodness gracious, I know his Mama and Papa want to get him SOON.  They are just starting out though, and really need our prayers as they wade through the process.

Meet Makayla (10).

She is almost 11 years old.  Seeing her standing there in that tiny crib just completely breaks me down.  Her family is still plowing through the initial paperwork.  I know their hearts long to cross that ocean and hold this precious one.

Meet Kolina (9).

What can I say?  The desperate need of this little one is just beyond words.  She is nine years old and weighs 19 lbs.  She was recently in the hospital fighting for her life.  Dear Lord. Kolina's family is also adopting another girl from another orphanage.

 

And these three: Liliana (11), Pam (15) and Butler (5).

Their parents are heading over there right now for their first trip.  Liliana and Pam are so wasted away that they are wearing 6-month-sized clothes.  Like Kolina, they have been in the hospital, fighting to stay alive.

Liliana, Pam and Butler's family is also adopting a little boy from another orphanage.

  

 

 Meet Annie (5)
Her family just came back from meeting her for the first time and it was all they could do to not want to bring her home!!  She is so tiny and needy!  Hurry Mama Hurry!!
Annie's family is also adopting two other children from other orphanages.

BABY N (3)

(no picture)

There is one more family who is also adopting from this orphanage, but they are not adopting from the US and because of privacy issues, we are unable to share their story.  Please pray for Baby N and his family!!

Seventeen orphans who are coming out of the darkness and into the light.

Twelve families who need to know that they are not alone.  Twelve families who are stepping out in faith to bring home a total of 25 orphans.

25 reasons for our Mulligan Stew Giveaway.

We are making the stew partly for these children and their families, because they NEED our support.  We are also trying to raise awareness so that when the door opens for all of the other children from this dark place to be listed for adoption, we can all raise our voices for those kids as well.  They need the world to know about them.  They need families to step up.  They need rescue.

We are not in a position where we can adopt right now, but we can pick up our soup spoons and try to stir hearts to action.  The children who are waiting in that dark orphanage need us.

And theirs is a story that needs to be told.

But they are not the only reasons why we have ventured into the kitchen. They are not the only reasons we are gathering items for our pot.

"The King will reply, 'Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’"

.....to be continued....

Not One

Not one person has inquired about Bernadette.

Not one person has asked to find out more about this fifteen year old angel who will be sent to an adult mental institute in just a short period of time.

Not one person has inquired about her.

Not one.

SHE HAS $10,000.00 in her Grant Account.

That is money that has literally POURED in over the last few weeks. 

I KNOW SHE IS WELL-LOVED.  I know for a fact that there are tons of you reading this who are shocked and grieved to know that NO ONE has inquired.  NOT ONE.

She has almost HALF of what someone would need to adopt her yet no e-mails have been sent.  No calls.  Is there no one out there with room at their table for this precious child?

She is in a wonderful institute right now.  She is doing extremely well and is happy and loved.  That will NOT be the case after she turns sixteen.

Bernadette may be 15 going on 16 but in reality she is just a tiny little girl who would rather play with her dolly's than do anything else.

She needs a Mommy.

Where in the world is her Mommy?

Please read her description... Please pray... please consider...

Miss Bernadette, what a beautiful smile you have! Hoping your Mama sees this picture and comes to bring you home — please don't wait! Bernadette's age doesn't leave her much time to find her family. She can only be adopted at all if she finds a family before November! Her chance at any life outside these four walls will be over if we can't find a family for her.

She’s a lovely little girl in appearance. Despite being 15, she looks about 8 years old, and a petite 8 at that. She is a sweet little girl with plenty of energy. She likes what most 8 year olds would like- dolls, playing with toys, watching cartoons.

We interrupt

Most of the ingredients for our Mulligan Stew are already sliced up, in the pot and simmering nicely over the campfire. While we wait for our stew to cook, I've decided to offer this short anecdote. Hope you don't mind.

Through all of my growing-up years, I had only ONE chance to appear in the news.

I was about 8 years old, and my brother was 9.

Our family was on the way to my Grandmother's house, and we had stopped at my Granddad's Ford car dealership to say hello.  While my Dad talked to my Granddad, my mom took my brother and me across the street and bought us a couple of sodas at the drugstore fountain.

Yes, I am THAT old. Plus, the part of southern Virginia where my grandparents lived was THAT backward.

We were just sitting there by ourselves-- enjoying our drinks, minding our own business.  We were country kids, so sitting at a soda fountain was quite a treat.

All of a sudden, our quiet little moment together was interrupted by a man with a camera. The cameraman walked up and asked my brother if he and his "little brother" would like to have their picture taken for the local newspaper.

I'm not sure why he thought we would make a good picture, but I was ecstatic. Getting my picture in the paper would be COOL!

I didn't care one whit that the cameraman thought I was a boy.  I didn't care AT ALL. I just wanted to see my picture in the newspaper!

Unfortunately, my brother ruined everything.  Being the responsible older brother that he was (at times), he proceeded to tell the photographer that we could NOT get our pictures taken because I was NOT his little brother, I was his little sister. Furthermore, we did NOT live around there. We were just passing through, so we didn't belong in the local newspaper.

The photographer walked away.

 I wanted to kick my brother in the shins. I was crushed: My one chance for glory had just been destroyed by my brother's rare, ill-timed fit of honesty.

Sigh.

I never got to be a Rock Star, and I never will.....

********

Fortunately, Aaron is most definitely a Rock Star!

Just this week, Aaron's picture showed up on the VCU News Center in Richmond, and from what I understand, his story is touching many lives over there at Virginia Commonwealth University.

He is definitely a Rock Star.

I'm pasting the article in here for your enjoyment!

Aaron’s Wish

VCU researchers and students make one boy’s dream to ride a bike come true.

Aaron Nalle had a wish. He wanted to ride a bike just like his big brothers. But for Aaron, riding a bike was complicated. The 7-year-old was born with arthrogryposis, a congenital, nonprogressive condition that severely limits movements of joints, including the knees, hips, ankles, elbows, wrists and hands.
What started with the personal project of a Virginia Commonwealth University physical therapy Ph.D. student transformed into a service-learning project that soon involved a number of VCU students and faculty from across campuses and disciplines.

J. Cortney Bradford, then a Ph.D. student in the Rehabilitation and Movement Science (REMS) program at VCU, read about Aaron on his mother’s blog. Born in Eastern Europe and abandoned by his parents, Aaron was adopted by Julia and Robert Nalle of Palmyra, Va., who brought him home when he was 5 to join their sons, Ben and Elijah.

Aaron’s story stuck with Bradford, and she decided to get involved.

“I’m not sure what pushed me to send Julia that first email. I was finishing up my Ph.D. and didn’t really have the time or money to take on such a project,” said Bradford, who has since received her doctorate and is working on her post doctorate in the Department of Physical Therapy at VCU. “This kid had the most awesome smile and zest for life, shouldn’t he be able to ride a bike like any other kid?”

Bradford took it upon herself to find a recumbent bicycle that might be modified to fit Aaron’s unique needs.

“The first modification was pretty simple, but paramount to getting Aaron pedaling. His knees don’t bend as much as most others do. The crank, the part that the pedals connect to, was too long for Aaron, meaning his knees couldn’t bend enough to pedal all the way around,” Bradford said.

With help from her brother, Bradford made the initial adjustments, and it was clear that Aaron was thrilled at the prospect of getting his very own bike.

“I was so nervous taking the bike to Aaron after the first modifications,” said Bradford. “Aaron’s English was still hard to understand at the time, but it was clear when we got there that he was very excited about his bike. Before we could get out of the car, he was exclaiming, ‘My bike, my bike!’”

The bike was left with Aaron for a couple of months so he could practice pedaling and to see if he could steer without further modification. After several months, Bradford knew other changes to the bike were needed, including a pedal-braking system since Aaron was unable to use hand brakes due to limited grip function. This is the point when VCU faculty and other students became involved.

“Julia and Rob were going to drop the bike off at my house so I could make further modifications. I mentioned the project to my professor, Dr. Pidcoe, and his interest was piqued,” said Bradford. “It was Dr. Pidcoe’s vision to involve students, both physical therapy and bioengineering students. Both types of students spend time in his lab, and this project involved the skills of each. The physical therapy students were able to assess Aaron’s abilities and needs, while the bioengineering students came up with the ideas for the modifications.”

Part of the physical therapy program at VCU involves students participating in a service-learning project. Peter Pidcoe, PT, DPT, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Physical Therapy, viewed Aaron’s bike project as unique because it was the first service-learning project that would help cross-train bioengineering and physical therapy students.

“This project represented a true marriage of physical therapy and bioengineering,” said Pidcoe. “It was interdisciplinary, blending the expertise of these two groups of students. I loved the process. It was different than any other project we’ve done.”

The students completed a comprehensive evaluation, listing further modifications needed to the bike. The group met each week during most of the fall 2011 semester to brainstorm and then implement solutions. At the end of the project, the students put together a case report describing the project titled, “Adapting Assistive Technology.”

“Our goal was to give Aaron a safe, reliable way to brake, while still allowing him to use the bike completely independently. Another feature was to figure out how to allow Aaron to shift gears,” said Bradford. “It was definitely a team effort. We found the bike parts that we needed and made sure they would work with our bike frame. Gearing ratios also had to be considered. We had to custom-modify sprockets to attain a gearing ratio that we knew would work for Aaron.”

This second set of changes took several months. Finally, the bike was ready to go back to Aaron, who was very excited to see his bike again.

“One of the first things he told me was that this time, the bike was going to stay with him for a long time. I laughed. Then he studied everything that was different, and he noticed everything!” Bradford said.
Aaron was off riding within minutes and was pedaling, breaking and steering all in a very short time.

And what does Aaron’s mom, Julia, think about all this? She describes Aaron as an extremely creative, happy child that keeps himself entertained and stimulated.

When he was in Europe, after he was transferred from his baby house orphanage to a mental institute because he was disabled, he stopped speaking his native language. This has made learning English rather difficult for him. He is currently in speech therapy and is both homeschooled and attends public school part-time. He’s had several surgeries to correct some of the joints and will have more in the future.

“He just blows everybody away with his joy. He wraps himself around people’s hearts,” said Nalle. “His favorite thing is to ride his bike. This boy was made for biking! It’s huge therapy that gets him using his legs, which makes them stronger. There are so many things he can’t do, so riding his bike makes him feel normal. He loves to zoom around our circle driveway. We appreciate everything that Cortney did and everyone at VCU, they were all such a godsend.”

The Nalles plan to visit Pidcoe at VCU for further evaluation in terms of his physical therapy. But for now, Aaron continues to zoom around on his bike.

“Seeing Aaron ride the finished bike makes everything worth it and then some,” said Bradford. “We spent many frustrating hours trying to get the modifications to work. None of that matters once you see how happy Aaron is. Aaron’s story helps keep things in perspective for me.”