Gaining A New Perspective
Abigail Hardin-8th grade-second place winner
Life is a wonderful gift we need to save
and preserve. Two years ago my family learned about a little girl named Karene,
who lived in Armenia a
country east of Turkey.
She had Spina Bifida, a handicap that causes her to be paralyzed from the waist
down. We decided that God was telling us to bring this girl into our family. We
did all the paper work, background checks, passports, and visas needed for the
adoption. We waited for over two years to obtain permission to depart for Armenia.
Last winter we received word that Karene had been battling an infection since
her fourth birthday in November. Finally in February we received word that she
probably wasn’t going to make it. On February 28, my mother and I flew to Armenia
to be with her in the last few minutes of her life. When we arrived at the
hospital, we found Karene in a bare dirty little room. It also did not seem
like a hospital room because she had no IV; no monitors, no vital signs taken,
and no medications. Not only was there not a place to wash your hands we later
learned that this entire medical facility had no hot water.
Despite the inadequate medical care during
her many surgeries, suffering from malnutrition, and a general lack of care or
concern from the medical personnel, Karene held on to life . We spent the next
two weeks finishing paper work to adopt. After that, we had over twenty-four
hours of flight on a commercial airline before we arrived in America.
Now, eight months later, three of those
spent in Vanderbilt having eight surgeries Karene is flourishing in a new life
with a new family.
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