The Crazy Idea of Adopting a Child Sharing My Condition

According to the National Council for Adoption…

88.5% of children adopted by U.S. families have special needs or a challenging medical condition. In some situations, these children are viewed as “less than” or “undesirable”, so their parents abandon them. In other situations, their needs simply can’t be met.

Whatever the reason, these children need loving, patient families. And God is continually raising up families to adopt differently-abled children, giving them a safe environment to discover their God-given value.

It’s beautiful. And it’s displayed by the following family’s story.

In adoptive mom Barby’s words…

James Travis is the newest member of our family of six, and we could not be happier. James (often called JT) was the missing piece.

When we felt God calling us to adopt, we thought it was crazy, a dream that could never happen financially for us. But look at us now. 

Please know how grateful we are. Our adoption has cost $43,000, and yet, we still have a few thousand remaining now that he is home. We could not have made our family complete without your support. When we applied for your grant, we had fundraised as much as we could and had a few fundraising opportunities left for us. Your financial assistance was God’s answer to our prayer. So, from the bottom of our hearts, thank you.

James is a boy with a heart of gold and a playful sense of humor.

He’s a daddy’s boy and loves going with him to the fire hall to sit in the big trucks. Our local police officers have a heart for JT, as they spend much time together at the fire hall with my husband.

I love snuggling with James, and there is no joy greater than being chosen to be his mom.

My daughters quickly found out both the love and the irritation of having a brother—that very typical brother-sister feeling. They watch over James, and I am confident he will always be well-taken care of.

Our community rallied to help bring James home. The local papers followed our story, and our entire community feels love for our little boy. He gets love from everyone he meets, and it is beautiful.

James’ medical needs are a non-issue in our family.

He shares the same diagnosis with me, and it is a normal part of our family. We make our formula together, we take our blood tests together, we go to appointments together, and we share the same doctor for our mutual rare condition. He is getting the best care possible. He drinks his special drink, eats his special foods, and enjoys life. We were so meant for each other, and I praise God every day that my husband had the crazy idea of adopting a child sharing my condition. He fits right into our family. We are beyond blessed.

With your gift, you helped James find a forever home, but you’ve done so much more than that. It’s because of you we have our son. It’s because of you, my daughters have their brother. We all needed each other. Your finances helped us all become complete. Thank you again for your generosity and for blessing this family. We truly cannot thank you enough.


Don’t walk through adoption alone.

If you’re adopting or considering adoption, we’d love to walk beside you! We offer matching grants, interest-free loans, fundraising tools, and a FREE online crowdfunding platform to help you overcome the financial hurdles of adoption.

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