Young Faith is a survivor. A child determined from birth to beat the odds. Perhaps she knew or relied on a mysterious conviction, based in nothing material. A conviction emanating from sheer hope and yes, faith, that someone was out there who cared. Her Foster parents awaited her life. Standing by her side, they were anticipating the joys and the challenges of parenthood. Faith’s community of caregivers, cheering from the sidelines --dedicated to being part of her solution, are proud to share this family’s success.
Born at 26 weeks and weighing in at 1 ½ pounds, Little Faith was small enough to rest in the palm of a hand. Her little body fought harder than most, resisting the toxins of opiates and alcohol. Residing within hospital quarters for 6 months, Faith underwent two open-heart surgeries. Faith’s initial prognosis was poor.
Today, we are pleased to report that Faith is now two years old and doing very well. She is walking and talking. Faith’s foster parents call her a good baby who is one day going to do something special: “Faith is no push-over. She’s tough”. Energized to keep up with the other children around her, Faith is eager in the morning to get up, see the face of her parents in the next room, smile and go on with her day. Visiting her physicians and participating in on-going physical therapy is also a part of the family’s regular schedule. At the end of it all, Little Faith sits back and sings along with Elmo on television without a care in the world.
We at Harlem Dowling are inspired by Faith’s foster family. Their hard work, caring, advocacy and dedication is a testament to their willingness to meet the challenges of caring for a special child like Faith. The next chapter for Faith and her foster family is to unite as an Adoptive family.
