Chewbacca Lady

 

 

If you spend any time on the Internet, I have no doubt that you have seen the now famous Chewbacca Mask video, of a lady unboxing her mask and laughing hysterically.  I'll admit, I didn't see it until today - but apparently the video went uber viral, and a gazillion people have seen it.  Did it make ME laugh ?  Yes !!  Who wouldn't laugh along with her - she looks like an absolutely wonderful woman, and it was good, clean, fun.  Since her little video, she has become an overnight success, and no doubt is truly enjoying her new found fame.  Her name is Candace Payne - and I wish her the best in everything she does !
 

 

The reason I mention her and Chewbacca, though, is a little something she said right at the end of her video - "It's the simple joys..."   It really is - it's the little things in this life that make it so wonderful.  For Candace, on that particular day, it was seeing herself wearing a Star Wars mask.  On any other day, it would be something completely different (though I do believe that Candace finds joy in many many little things !).  What do YOU see joy in every day ?

 What little thing makes YOU happy ?  It could be anything - waking up in the morning and hearing the rain on the window - or waking up and seeing the sun shine through the window.. 

It could be the sight of your children getting off the school bus - or, maybe, seeing them get ON the bus in the morning ?  It could be the smell of a tiny infant - or a flower - or the earth after a thunderstorm. 

 Maybe coffee. Or donuts. 

 It could be hearing your favorite song on the radio - or talking to a friend - or the giggle of a child. 

There are so many big things in this life that keep us occupied - our jobs, the mortgage, all the bills, the car that broke down, the groceries that need buying, the politics constantly in the media, the tragedies around the world - sometimes those big things just seem so, so overwhelming, that we let the little things pass us by. 

Sometimes, we just don't stop to smell the roses - we don't appreciate the wonderful things in our lives, the things right under our noses. 

Take a moment, right now, and think about what is most important in your life right now.  What gives you pleasure more than anything else ??

Do you think about possessions - stuff - material things ?

Is it your house, your car, the latest gadget ?

Or do you think about the people in your life ?

Your family and friends are, surely, the most important things in your life.

If you have children, I would imagine that they are the ones that give you the greatest pleasure in life. Children - whether your own, or others you spend time with - truly know how to appreciate the simple joys in life.

Every day is a day of discovery for children - they see more, experience more, feel more - every single day.  Show an adult a puddle, and they'll walk around it or over it.  Show a child a puddle, and they will spend a crazy amount of time jumping, splashing, laughing and basically thinking that that puddle is the best thing ever.  Having said that - if you watch THIS video, you will see a child (my son several years ago) and an adult (my mum) enjoying jumping in puddles together ! 

I was a childcare provider for 14 years, and saw children enjoy the simple joys every single day.  There was always something to discover, whether it was a puddle, a bug, a flower, a new toy - or a new way of playing with an old toy - whatever it is, there is nothing better than seeing life through the eyes of a child.

 

 

Children need to explore, to touch, to smell, to see, to experience life in order to grow.

They need to be able to move around, to feel the wind in their hair and the rain on their heads.

Children need these things as much as they need the air that they breath and the food that they eat.

Children need to experience the simple joys, for that, after all, is what childhood is all about - the simple joys of a mother's hug, of hearing "I love you", of just being a child.

 

 

 

 

The children pictured above - and many, many more, were abandoned by their families because they were unable to care for them.  In many countries, children with special needs are more of a burden than a blessing, and families are encouraged to give them up rather than try and raise them. There are few resources, so the children do not receive therapies or education.

 

Children who spend their lives in a crib, or in an orphanage - or, worse, an institution - don't get to experience the simple joys in life.  They may never get to catch raindrops in their hands, or feel the grass beneath their feet.  They may never get to play with a baby doll, or a toy car or teddy bear.  They may never touch cold snow, wibbly jello or rough bark on a tree.  They may never be hugged, or kissed or just gently touched by a loving hand.

 

These kids need OUT.

They need families.

They need homes.

They need love.

 

They need the chance to laugh hysterically at something - anything - just like Chewbacca mom - they need the freedom to be themselves, to be children, and to enjoy the simple joys of life.

 

Please SEE these children - these older children who are, first and foremost, still kids, ready to experience life outside of the four walls they live in.

 

To read more about the international adoption of children with special needs, please check out Reece's Rainbow.

 

ALL OLDER CHILDREN LISTED WITH REECE'S RAINBOW OVER THE AGE OF 10 YEARS ARE ELIGIBLE FOR A $10,000 ADOPTION GRANT !!!!!

 

For more information - and to donate to the Older Child Grant Pool, please go HERE for children with Down Syndrome, and HERE for children with other special needs. 

 

Please do whatever you can to get these kids seen, so they can find their families and start enjoying the simple joys in this wonderful world of ours !!!

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Adoption and HIV

When you hear HIV, what do you think ?

 

I remember when I first heard of AIDS and HIV - at the time, there was a major panic about this new disease, and a lot of disinformation.  I was working at a summer camp for disabled children, and remember helping write the camp's handbook about Universal Precautions. 


 

I remember that up until that point, we had never used gloves to change diapers or deal with cuts and grazes - and I remember hating to wear those gloves, as I thought it would make the kids feel bad in some way.


 

I remember being scared that a kid might have a nosebleed, or throw up, and I would get the virus by coming into contact with their blood or vomit. 

I remember when the wife of my favorite TV actor at the time, Paul Michael Glaser (of "Starsky and Hutch" fame) contracted HIV through a blood transfusion. She passed it on to her two children, and died after 10 years - her daughter, Ariel, also died.

I remember many famous people dying of AIDS related illnesses.

 

 

I remember a lot of publicity, and mostly I remember thinking that if I ever came into contact with the bodily fluids of an infected individual, that I absolutely would also get the disease.  I thought that because that is what we were told, and who was I to not believe it ?
 

So, for many many years, HIV and AIDS has been a mysterious, scary disease for me - and many others, I am sure.  When I moved from the UK to the USA in 1997, I had to have a medical in order to be granted residency. Part of that medical exam was a test for HIV - if I had been positive, I would not have been able to move to the USA to live with my new husband. 

Thankfully, time has shown that even though HIV and AIDS are still around, they really aren't as scary as once believed.  HIV is a chronic, but manageable disease. With the use of modern-day antiretroviral medications, those with a diagnosis of HIV can live an average life span.



Since 2010, immigration rules have changed, and there is no longer an AIDS test as part of the medical exam - HIV is no longer a barrier to anyone wishing to live in the USA.

Also - the spread of the disease is nowhere near as easy as once thought.

HIV can NOT be spread through casual/household contact. HIV is NOT spread through hugging, kissing, shaking hands, sharing toys, sneezing, coughing, sharing food, sharing drinks, bathing, swimming or any other casual way.

 

It has been proven that HIV can only be spread through sexual contact, birth, breastfeeding and intravenously (such as used needles and blood transfusions).

There are several children listed with Reece's Rainbow, who are available for adoption, who are living with HIV.  These children are all innocent victims of this terrible disease - most probably passed on to them when born or through breastfeeding.  Other than  being HIV+, these children are kids, just like yours or mine.  They are children who need a family. 

 

Some of the children just have HIV, some have additional special needs.

  

 

 

The sad fact is that once children with HIV age out of the orphanage system, they have nowhere to go. 

 

In Ukraine and Russia, 10-15% of HIV+ children who age out of an orphanage commit suicide by age 18.

60% of the girls are lured into prostitution.

70% of the boys become hardened criminals.
 

Again - these are children who were never given a chance.

Children who, if adopted, could have lived a normal life, just like you and I.

Please see these children - they truly need a family before it is too late - before they are out on the streets, before they become just another statistic.

Below I will highlight some of the older children - they all have a $10,000 adoption grant available to help with adoption expenses !!

Alexandra is 13 years old. According to her close friend, who was adopted, she is very sweet, neat, loyal, and loves to help. She was not treated well at the orphanage, so was sent to a different school.


Sarai has HIV, as well as additional special needs. She was born in 2003.  She needs to be adopted by a family with no young children.


Sabin is 11 years old, and also has other special needs, too. He is said to be very careful and orderly, and is described as being helpful.


Scottie is running out of time - he will turn 16 in August of this year - if he is not adopted by then, he will be out of the system - out on the streets - and his life will not be good.  He is desperate for a family, as he knows what is facing him in the future. He is a good student and sportsman - he is kind hearted and well behaved.


Avery's profile doesn't have much info about him, other than his birthdate - June 2004.  To me, he looks like a little boy, a year younger than my own son.
He looks like a boy who needs a family. A boy who wants to go to school, make friends, play soccer, eat candy, play in the mud and just be a normal boy with a family.


The kids shown above are, first and foremost, kids.  Children who were abandoned because of their HIV status.
Children who desperately need a family before it is too late. 
Children who can live perfectly normal lives - yes, they will need medication every day - but other than that, they are children.
Children with hopes and dreams, just like any other child.

ALL OF THE CHILDREN SHOWN - AND MORE - ARE ELIGIBLE FOR A $10,000 ADOPTION GRANT THOUGH REECES RAINBOW !!!
Please click HERE to see their profiles.

For younger children, please click HERE (children aged 6-9 years) and HERE (for children up to age 5).

They still have time.

The world of adoption is full of tragedies and triumphs. 

The tragedy of being born in a country where children with disabilities are seen as worthless. 

The tragedy of moms and dads being forced to give their children up at birth, believing there is no hope for them.

The triumph of seeing children adopted, and watching their transformation from unloved and neglected, to loved and valued. 

Some children have been listed as available for adoption for many many years, and yet they still wait. 

It is a fact that older children - especially boys - are less likely to be adopted.

 Kolya was listed with Reece's Rainbow for almost 6 years.  This was the only photo they had of him.

 Last week,  they received a new photo of him, showing him sitting up and smiling !!

Just days later, Kolya died.

He died alone and unloved.  He was almost 12 years old, and had never known the love of a family.  He had no mommy or daddy to make him feel better when he was sick.  He had Down Syndrome, along with asthma. He died of complications related to pneumonia. Alone, in an institution in Eastern Europe.

While my heart breaks for Kolya, I cannot stop shouting for the others.

SO many boys - and girls - still waiting.

So many older children, with so many differences, all with one thing in common - they need a family.

The boys and girls listed below all live in institutions in the same country Kolya lived in, and have been waiting for a family for far too long.  Please, take a couple of minutes to really see these children - look into their eyes - see them for what they are.  Despite their ages, they are still just little boys and girls looking for a family - little girls and boys who need love. 

There is a $15,000 adoption grant available for all of these children through Reece's Rainbow !!!

Dixon - age 15 - AGING OUT

Adam - age 15 - AGING OUT

Tanner - age 15 - AGING OUT

Ryan - age 15 - AGING OUT

Mikale - age 13

Tyler - age 14

  
George - age 12

Chad - age 15 - AGING OUT

 Dawn - age 15 - AGING OUT
 

Brett - age 15 - AGING OUT

Aaric - age 12

 Paige - age 14

Andrue - age 12

Samuel - age 13

 Bryannah - age 15 - AGING OUT


Madden - age 12

Ulysess - age 13

Robert - age 13

 Amelia - age 15 - AGING OUT
 
  
Marty - age 14

Marlowe - age 15 - AGING OUT

 Gus - age 13
 

 Isabelle - age 15 - AGING OUT



Kieran - age 13

24 boys and girls.

All over the age of 12.

All with Down Syndrome.

All living in the same country as Kolya.

All needing YOU to help them find a family.

ALL ARE ELIGIBLE FOR A $15,000 ADOPTION GRANT !!!!

Could you do me a favor ?

In honor of Kolya, could you share these children today ?

Either share this post, or share just one boy or girl. 

If you click on their name, you will be taken to their profile on Reece's Rainbow, where you can read more about them.

These children are all so deserving of a family, but they need to be seen before they can be chosen.

Please share them everywhere you can. 

Sadly, it's too late for Kolya - but these boys and girls still have a chance.

ALL ARE ELIGIBLE FOR A $15,000 ADOPTION GRANT THROUGH 
REECES RAINBOW !!!!

To see many more children who are also eligible for a $15,000 grant, please go HERE.