I was lifting my youngest, Haven, out of the bath one evening when she asked me the question I’d been expecting, yet dreading, since adopting her in 2004. She’d been just 16 months then, and now she was four, peering up at me with her inquisitive brown eyes and casually enquiring why she didn’t have any feet.
Wrapping her in a towel, I pulled her onto my knee, ready to have a very difficult conversation because I’d always promised myself that the moment she asked the question, I’d tell my brave, resilient little girl the truth.
From the moment I cradled my first child, Zachary, in 1983, I knew being a mum was my destiny. Right there and then, I told my husband Rob that I already wanted more. We were only 21 then, but both wanted a big family. Fast-forward 16 years, and that’s exactly what we had.
Zachary had been joined by Hannah in 1985, Haley in 1987, Ivy in 1992, Chloe in 1994, and Sawyer in 1997. It felt like our family was finally complete. Yet, three years later, I attended a talk about international adoption that sparked that familiar yearning. There was an astronomical number of children worldwide, all needing a loving home.
‘I think we should adopt one,’ I told Rob.
He was worried that we already had enough to cope with but, over the next few years, thinking about adopting kept me awake at night.
Finding our daughter
In 2004, Rob finally agreed, and the kids – used to having lots of siblings – were all for it, too, so I started making inquiries.
Then, that November, I heard about a little Vietnamese girl called Haven who was about to be put into a disability shelter because her grandparents were too poor to care for her. You see, at just 16 months old, Haven was a double amputee.
Bu hikaye WOMAN - UK dergisinin December 21, 2020 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Giriş Yap
Bu hikaye WOMAN - UK dergisinin December 21, 2020 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
View from THE BACK
Isabel Webster says what you're thinking
Time to get ON BOARD!
A no-fly cruise from the UK offers a hassle-free holiday to remember
Matt Tebbutt's FESTIVE FAVOURITES
The Saturday Kitchen star serves up easy, seasonal winners
I'm the child OF AN AFFAIR
Jennifer Barton still feels like a dirty secret at 42
One final PARTY
Caitriona Adams' fun-loving little boy was brave until the end
How to be alone NOT LONELY
Connecting to others has never been more important for your health
15 ways to BOOST YOUR ENERGY over Christmas
Survive the last of the festivities and jingle your energy bells with help from our experts
TSUNAMI 20 years on
What is it like to be caught up in a devastating natural disaster? We speak to a survivor
TRUMP VS HARRY
Prince Harry faces a troublesome Christmas as he waits to see what President-elect Trump may do about his visa situation.
'Furious' Meghan's NEW ATTACK
Royal biographer Duncan Larcombe on the claims that things are worse than ever between the sisters-in-law