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Dear Wyatt Samuel,

You probably don’t know this but in two days your mom and dad will leave your 3 sisters behind in California and make a 12 hour flight to meet you in Russia. That’s them:

I have to be honest with you little guy, when your mom first started talking about you I thought she was C R A Z Y! I thought it was a phase she was going through. I mean, seriously, she is just coming out of the hard years with Hannah (your sister who also has spina bifida), she has 3 girls, and to be honest, things in their lives have been a bit rocky the past year or so. Why in heaven’s name would she really want to adopt another child with spina bifida? One child with significant special needs is already so hard.

I clicked over to your picture on Reese’s Rainbow and I saw what she saw. I imagined you not having access to the medical care that has made Carter’s (my son who was born with spina bifida) life as full and wonderful as it. My heart broke for you knowing that your future would likely be spent in an institution because you had a physical disability. But I still thought your mom was C R A Z Y and, honestly, I doubted she could ever pull it off.

Boy was I wrong! Your mom has a strength far beyond anything I could ever hope to possess. Because she loved you and had the courage to trust that feeling the moment she first saw you. Over the past year many, many people have worked tirelessly and contributed generously to your families new dream-you. I often wonder if you could feel that love coming to you from so far away.

In a few days you will get to meet these two fabulous parents of yours. They finally get to hug you and let you know how loved you are. The 30 day wait period after your first meeting I am sure will be the longest they have felt in quite some time.

I am sure things will be hard for you when you finally get to come home with them and you all will have many many challenges. But I am sure now that there is nothing your family won’t do for you.

You are one very, very loved little boy that God certainly must have a special plan for.

Love,

Your Mom’s Crazy Friend

PS…for you grownups out there: You can read all about the DeHoog’s journey to bring Samuel (they will be naming him Wyatt Samuel most likely) home. Adopting a child from Russia is a very expensive proposition and they have fund-raised almost all of the fee’s to date through their church and Reese’s Rainbow. Laura is a stay at home mom and Geoff is a typical Dad working to provide for his family. It’s not like they had 30K laying around to fund this. If you don’t yet know about the amazing work that is being done by Reese’s Rainbow, please click over and check them out. Just be sure to have plenty of kleenex nearby. If you feel like you want to do something to help them finish their journey you can make a secure donation through Reese’s Rainbow for them here: Donation’s For DeHoog Adoption This has come together with lots of 5, 10’s and 20’s!

I know they would appreciate your comments below.