Journey to Caleb

Keely Michelle Williams

She wasn't my first little treasure. However, she was the first one I chose for myself. Since as far back as I can remember, I always had a doll or a baby in my arms. Amanda was my first doll that never left my sight. She now sits in a cradle in my daughter's room. After Amanda came the Cabbage Patch Kid craze. Like every little girl, the first Cabbage Patch I was given resembled myself. It was what you did. You were given the one that had your own hair color and eye color, and skin color, for that matter. 

Keely Michelle was different. She was the first doll I chose. The first one that I requested what I wanted her to look like. The first doll I wasn't just given. I wanted her. I chose her. I took her in as my own. And I gave her a new name. Officially. I even went as far as sending away for a new birth certificate so that it would state her new name. Keely Michelle Williams. What a glorious day when that certificate arrived in the mail. She was truly mine.

I was six, seven tops.

And Keely, well, her hair was dark brown. Mine was dirty blond. Her eyes dark brown. Mine were hazel. And her skin, the same beautiful brown as her eyes. I am white. She looked nothing like me, but she was mine. I was her Mama and I loved her. Keely was followed by a little sister who shared her skin color, and was also a premmie. I felt by then I was ready to take on medical needs as well. 

For thirty years now it has been a desire of my heart to grow my family through adoption. How amazed I stand that God not only knows the desires of my heart, but He has chosen to grant me them. 

With the arrival of my Caleb, my thirty year dream will come to fruition. What a treasure I've been given. I am truly beyond blessed.

The journey to Caleb has taken thirty years.

Since as far back as I can remember I have longed to be a Mama. At one point, I think I dreamt of having nine children. I might not be there now. However, I find being a mother to be the greatest calling in the world.

Although I longed to have biological children, it has always, ALWAYS, been my desire to grow my family through adoption. It was never plan B, but rather, a desire the Lord placed within me when He formed me. When I was about six years old, I became aware of this desire.

I am an advocate for both domestic adoption and international adoption. I am all for children knowing the love of a mother and a father. I believe there is a special place in the heart of my Heavenly Father for those who are orphaned.

If you were to ask me a number of years ago, I probably thought we would start our adoption journey domestically. However, with the birth of my precious little girl, my heart was opened to the need of children born with differences around the world.

You see, my daughter was born with a facial difference, a birthmark called a Port Wine Stain. Until her birth, I thought birthmarks were simply cosmetic. I have now learned that there are a variety of birthmarks a child can be born with, that there are often medical concerns and syndromes associated with them, and that treatment is often required.

My daughter has now had 15 surgeries.

She is a firecracker, a delightful and bright little girl that brings sunshine to my life each and every day. There is nothing that is going to stop her. She is confident, intelligent, compassionate, and beautiful.

Having worked overseas in developing nations, my daughter's birth led me to wonder what her fate would be had she been born somewhere other than Canada. What would life look like for her? What kind of care would she recieve? What care would she have access to? How would she be treated? I soon learned that in many nations, the stigma against facial differences, birth defects and special needs remains high and parents are often encouraged to give their children up.

Not only that, but families often do not feel they are able to care for their child simply because they are unable to pay for medical care and treatment for their child. In Canada, we have received the most incredible care for our daughter. Our facilities are phenominal and our medical team outstanding. I cannot imagine the agony of giving up my child in hopes that they will have a better chance of survival without me. A mother is a mother, no matter what nation she is from. A mother's heart is a mother's heart no matter where she is in the world.

 With every surgery my daughter has endured, God has given our family the strength and peace needed. However, it never fails that when I hear a child crying out for their parent post-surgery because they have been brought back to their room before their parent has arrived, my heart is torn.

I cannot imagine my child not having access to medical care. And I cannot imagine my child enduring ANY medical procedure without a Mama there to comfort her, hold her, and promise her that everything will be okay.

Every child deserves to be loved. Every child deserves to be comforted. Every child deserves to have their needs met. Every child deserves the love of a Mama and a Daddy.

There are children all over the world waiting for a family to call their own. There are children who also await medical care... some may receive this care, many will not. Even if they do, who is their to comfort them?

We have always known we wanted to adopt, but there was always an excuse as to why it wasn't the right time. As we began to experience all of this, the Lord brought us from a place of saying, "Can we do this Lord?" to saying, "How could we not do this Lord?" The time is now.

We decided to step out on this journey a year ago. We longed to parent another child with special needs. We chose to go the international route, wanting to adopt from a country in which our child currently did not have/had little access to medical care. We endured the paper work, the homestudies, the reading, the training - and in January, 2013 we were told of our precious little treasure in China.

Our Caleb.

Caleb will be 21 months old when we are finally united with him. He has a bilateral Cleft Lip and Palate that will require surgery once he is home. He has the most amazing eyes and gentle smile.

He is a gift sent from Heaven.

 He is chosen.

 He is loved.

 He is ours.