Today we get a very unique perspective on Down syndrome, adoption, and foster care from big sister, Saylor. I so enjoy following Saylor on Instagram as she shares photos and stories of being a ‘big sis to many’ (as she mentions on her IG profile @saygla). Saylor first sent me the stories of her younger brother and sister, Scout and Suri, in late September, before little Suri Clare went to be with Jesus. What a privilege to be able to share these stories with all of you today.
Tell us a little about Scout and Suri Clare.
Scout (2) is adopted through our local foster care system. He had been abandoned at the hospital after his diagnosis by his mother and the couple who had planned on adopting him. My mother and I were driving home when she got the call. Our family was currently fostering a seven year old with DS and had been praying for a baby. The tears were immediate. He was the answer to our prayers!! Born on my mothers birthday, we took him home from the hospital after his two week stay in the NICU. He had OHS at 4 months old and has had no complications since.
Suri’s story is completely different. My mother was contacted through Facebook and was asked to call a woman who had just had a child with Down Syndrome. It was pretty late, but my mom assumed that she needed support, so she made the call. Within two minutes, the woman asked if our family would be willing to adopt her daughter. They had spent two months in the NICU. Suri had been home for a week when she decided she needed a family better equipped to care for a medically fragile child. After giving her birth mother time to think about it, Suri was placed in our care at 3 months old weighing almost 6 pounds. Suri is a little more complex than Scout. We are on our 8th hospital stay since we’ve had her.
Throughout everything, joy is the emotion that comes to mind the most. Immeasurable joy.
The most wonderful part of knowing Scout and Suri Clare is knowing unconditional love every minute of the day! I’m also learning how to give forgiveness where forgiveness is needed and that it is perfectly okay to learn new things a little different than every body else.
One week after I received Saylor’s first message, she sent me this message, asking if we could still celebrate Suri Clare today. Of course I said yes. So today, on what would have been her first birthday, we can look at that beautiful face and imagine her celebrating today in heaven.
After a long hard fight against respiratory issues resulting from her prematurity, Suri Clare was called home to be with Jesus on October 3rd. We cherish every day we had with her and are so excited for the day we see her again. Happy 1st birthday, beautiful.
