My name is Carissa. I am a military wife and mother to 5 wonderful children: 4 beautiful homegrown girls, and one redheaded stinker we handpicked from Ukraine. I have been an orphan advocate for 7 years, and last year was asked to join the team at Grace Haven Ministries as the Orphan Advocate Coordinator.
I have always had a special place in my heart for children with special needs. When I was a teenager, my first summer job was as a volunteer paraprofessional at Rainbows United Inc, in Wichita KS, a preschool for kids with special needs. I got my bachelor's degree in Exercise Physiology with the intention of going on to Physical Therapy school, but God had other intentions for me. It took me 8 full years to earn that degree because I had made the awesome decision to be a stay at home mom! My first two daughters were born during my last couple of years of college, and cheered me on as I crossed the stage to receive my diploma, earning magna cum laud. I wouldn't change a thing about how my life has played out!
One of my oldest (oldest as in time I have known her, not how old she is!) friends had a daughter 11 months before my first was born. To her surprise, her beautiful baby was born with spina bifida and so many of our play dates revolved around therapy and road trips to Shriners. I learned a lot about spina bifida in that time, so when God began calling me to adopt a child with special needs, I immediately put spina bifida at the top of my "I could handle that!" list.
Fast forward a few year and two more daughters later, and my husband and I finally decided that the time was right in our family dynamic and in his military career to adopt. A couple of years before, a friend had posted a picture of an adorable redheaded toddler in Ukraine and I had never let that image go. His bright smile and cheerful eyes haunted me, knowing that his day consisted of nothing more than neglect in a crib. So, off we went to Ukraine, to find this little guy and make him our first son.
I have always had a special place in my heart for children with special needs. When I was a teenager, my first summer job was as a volunteer paraprofessional at Rainbows United Inc, in Wichita KS, a preschool for kids with special needs. I got my bachelor's degree in Exercise Physiology with the intention of going on to Physical Therapy school, but God had other intentions for me. It took me 8 full years to earn that degree because I had made the awesome decision to be a stay at home mom! My first two daughters were born during my last couple of years of college, and cheered me on as I crossed the stage to receive my diploma, earning magna cum laud. I wouldn't change a thing about how my life has played out!
One of my oldest (oldest as in time I have known her, not how old she is!) friends had a daughter 11 months before my first was born. To her surprise, her beautiful baby was born with spina bifida and so many of our play dates revolved around therapy and road trips to Shriners. I learned a lot about spina bifida in that time, so when God began calling me to adopt a child with special needs, I immediately put spina bifida at the top of my "I could handle that!" list.
Fast forward a few year and two more daughters later, and my husband and I finally decided that the time was right in our family dynamic and in his military career to adopt. A couple of years before, a friend had posted a picture of an adorable redheaded toddler in Ukraine and I had never let that image go. His bright smile and cheerful eyes haunted me, knowing that his day consisted of nothing more than neglect in a crib. So, off we went to Ukraine, to find this little guy and make him our first son.
The first picture I ever saw of my son.
Today, 10 months after we took him out of the orphanage forever, Denis is doing remarkably well. He is learning, he is loving, he is thriving. And I wish more than anything that more kiddos like him could do the same. There are an estimated 147 MILLION orphans in the world. Many of them have special needs, abandoned simply because of a birth defect like spina bifida, or a genetic condition like Down Syndrome. I have a passion for these kids, for being the eyes and ears of God so He can use me and my passion to set the lonely in families. Spina bifida shouldn't be the only reason these kids don't have homes! Spina bifida doesn't have to be scary! We can CHOOSE SPINA BIFIDA!
Denis, at the WCMX event for RISE adaptive sports. He doesn't let spina bifida slow him down!
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