A Haitian Adoption Story

January 23, 2011

A Haitian Adoption Story

January 23rd 2011 Posted to Adoptive Parents,Current Events,International Adoption,Older Child Adoption

The Washington Post ran this heartwarming story today about adoption from Haiti. Ila Yslande Ann Hubner, now 4 years old, was an orphan in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. The Hubner family had been trying to adopt Ila for four years, her homecoming continually delayed by bureaucrasy, when the massive earthquake hit Haiti in January 2010. The plight of orphans after the earthquake prompted Haitian and U.S. officials to expedite the adoption process for families who had already been in the adoption process when the earthquake struck. Just 11 days after the earthquake, little Ila arrived at Orlando airport in an aircraft carrier to meet her adoptive family. Her adoption was finalized last Thursday in the Circuit Court of Frederick County, Maryland.

I liked that the Post article was honest about the challenges of adopting an older child without being defeatist. The article mentions that Ila struggled with health problems, behavioral problems, and the kind of emotional and sleep disturbances that are typical of children who have survived trauma. But the article also takes note that the Hubners are working through these problems day by day, and greatly enjoying the many joys of having Ila in their family.

What did you think of the story? Post your impressions in the comments or email me at evaughan (at) vaughanfirm (dot) com.