All along our adoption journey, God has placed angels in our path, and often, right when we needed them most. Many of these angels are those who have provided healthcare to our Bella since we brought her home from China.
When we received Bella's medical file, the special need that was listed was incredibly minor. It was not even a special need. At all. But, we knew there would very likely be more beneath the surface. It was not until we were in China that my hub and I discovered something suspicious, that was very likely a symptom of a greater, underlying issue. Our suspicions were confirmed once we brought Bels home and began having her evaluated from head to toe, along with some new things we weren't expecting. One thing we were expecting and has been true all along the way? God's got her in His hands.
We purposefully chose to adopt from China because we felt capable of adopting a child with special needs. In fact, I now believe that the entire reason God nudged me in the direction of pursuing a doctorate in pediatric neuropsychology was not just to help other children with neurocognitive, emotional, and behavior needs, but to help MY child with special needs. He knew from the start that I needed the training, education, and experience to help my daughter. I am so, so lucky to be her momma and am so thankful He knows the bigger picture and ensures everything falls into place right when it should.
God's plan has been made even more clear the last two-and-a-half months, as he has blessed us by connecting us with the most incredible healthcare professionals we could have ever hoped for. These people pour their lives into helping others. They don't ask for recognition nor accolades, despite being deserving of it all. There is no way I will ever be able to repay the medical team and therapists we have as part of our Lu Crew team, but I want to at least highlight them here:
Dr. Quimby McCaskill of Rock Hill Pediatrics-Fort Mill. Dr. McCaskill is our pediatrician. I cannot begin to explain the ways he has gone over and above to help our Bella. From calling directly into the radiology room seconds before Bella was being sedated to request an additional scan (that, by the way, is how we discovered she needed surgery) to returning my calls directly to discuss any findings from tests, scans, exams, etc. He is the best.
Dr. Kim Block of Lakeside Audiology. I could go on and on and on about Kim. If you are local and in need of audiology, the only place you should even consider is her practice, Lakeside Audiology. Every single person who has ever seen Dr. Block raves and raves about, not only her amazing expertise, but her kind demeanor and big heart. Not to mention, Kim has been with us on our adoption journey before we even decided to adopt. She is a trustworthy and devoted friend who has taken great care of our Bella as we continue to address her auditory needs.
Dr. Jamie Noonan. We are so lucky to call Jamie, and his awesome wife, friends of ours. Despite his already busy schedule, he took his very little free time to examine Bella's neuroimaging scans and share the findings in a very kind and honest way. We could not be more thankful for the Noonan family.
Nikki Kirsch, CRNA. Where do I even start? Nikki and I were first connected by our mutual friend (Caitlin, see below). From Day 1, Nikki provided such great, honest advice about how to pursue specific medical scans and treatment for our Bella, having adopted her own beauty from China. And how about this for two HUGE God winks. Nikki, who, by the way, is an amazing pediatric anesthesia nurse, was working the day of Bella's MRIs. She was with her the whole time and took the absolute best care of her, constantly keeping me informed and updated. Oh, and guess what? She was her anesthesia nurse AGAIN the day of Bella's surgery. She just happened to be working both of those days!!! Thank you, God, for bringing Nikki into our lives.
Dr. Mark Van Poppel of Carolina Neurosurgery and Spine. Our neurosurgeon. He took my baby girl into the OR and used his surgical precision and skill to operate on her. His kind but professional bedside manner was outstanding. I knew Bella would be in great hands when my friend, Nikki (see above), said that she would trust him with her own children. Could there be a higher recommendation than that? Nope. He is phenomenal.
Dr. Timothy Kelley. Talk about an amazing otolaryngologist. Not only was Dr. Kelley kind and personable during our appointment, but he also detected a heart murmur during his routine exam and immediately followed up with our pediatrician within minutes of discovering it. He provided calm and comfort during a time of worry, and we felt very well taken care of under his care.
Hanger Clinic. Vanessa was extremely engaging and kind every encounter we had. She took care when measuring Bella for her orthotics and made sure they were a perfect fit once they arrived, modifying them on the spot. Because of her, Bella is becoming more stable and confident on her feet, and we are so grateful for her expertise!
And our therapists. I don't know that I will ever be able to tell our therapy team how much we adore and value them. They each work with Bella one hour per week and are as compassionate, kind, fun, friendly, and knowledgeable as they come. They go WAY above and beyond and truly care about their therapy kiddos, including my daughter. They are the ones who are helping Bella reach milestones. They are the ones who are pushing her to achieve because they believe in her. They are the ones who have already become super heroes to our family. We would be lost without our early interventionist, Ashley Aspenwall, our occupational therapist, Caitlin Sund, our speech therapist, Christie McLoone, and our physical therapist, Jennifer Wong. Thank you doesn't come close to cutting it. Luckily, we have a good six months left for me to figure out how to adequately show our gratitude. <3
These are some of the angels in our life we have been lucky enough to encounter. And we are so, so thankful for each and every one.
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