A new friend who joined our story near the beginning of this adoption, a friend who has adopted 18 times, said that about our son. God loves him that much! The phrase has become a mantra for our lives. God really does love each of us THAT much!
After having a biological child with special needs that put her in and out of the hospital many times during the first year of her life, we learned that other children like her are sometimes abandoned in our hospitals here in the United States of America. We could not imagine our daughter fighting for her life without her loved ones being with her, advocating for her, making her smile, singing to her, praying over her — all of the things that a family does. I knew at the moment we discovered this that we would someday be involved in special needs adoption or foster care.
After looking at four different agencies, my husband chose CCAI because of the founder’s honesty during our very first interaction with him. He said that adoption could “make you or break you;” I believe it does both.
A friend in Idaho sent us a video of a little boy who needed a family to move very quickly in order to save his life. She said that he reminded her of our daughter who was born with special needs.
Moving ahead with our new son
As we proceeded with CCAI, all of our financial needs were met. They were so kind, encouraging and thorough during the whole process. On August 14, 2023, we were “soft matched” with the little boy in the video! We met him for the first time in March of 2024, immediately after my husband and four eldest children returned from a mission trip in Honduras.
During our first meeting with our son, the people in his orphanage told us that our touches were hurting him, agitating him, causing him discomfort. We sat next to him for the visit. We asked to hold him, but we were never allowed to. We were told that the hundreds of daily seizures he had were not able to be controlled. His posture had us confused as to which leg was his left and which was his right. He was so thin, like skin over bones.
We went back to the hotel in his region that day and I sobbed, wondering why I had done this to us. It was my fault we were there in the first place. I was the one who wanted to adopt. My husband, though, was ready to take another step forward.
He was like that for the entire journey. Knowing he was on board was all the encouragement I needed to go back the next day. We can do hard things!
Bringing our son home for the first time
We finally brought our son home in July. I remember him laying on the chase lounge at the end of our hotel bed. Our youngest son was very sick at home. I felt guilty for leaving him. But, when I looked into our new son’s face, I knew we were doing the right thing.
We knew that flying him home was going to be a challenge. We also knew that God already had all of the right people at the right places at the right times. Another adoptive mom told us that we were just going to have to walk onto those airplanes with the boldness and authority of Christ and bring our boy home.
We did! On July 20, Evan landed on U. S. soil and became a citizen of the United States of America!
Three weeks after we brought him home, he stopped breathing at a playground. He was rushed to a local hospital and given a tracheostomy. Almost immediately afterward, he was able to lay on his back. Prior to that, his posture was so contorted that the back of his head and his tailbone touched. He took on this posture to survive, to breathe. The PICU doctor said he would have died had this happened where he was before. He was brought home only three weeks prior! God’s timing!
Getting our son the help he needs
God gave us three weeks at home together without any medical intervention, without tons of medical appointments, just time to bond as a family. Then, God’s grace allowed him to have this tracheostomy. His doctor thinks it will be able to be reversed soon. However, it was what he needed to “reset.”
We don’t know if he did before, but he smiles now. He has gained over 10 healthy pounds in just a few months. He has lots of new friends — specialists, therapists, and the best ones are kids at church. He can lie on his back and sit in a chair. Before he could only be repositioned from one side to the other.
The only sounds he made when he came to us from the orphanage were crying and screaming. Now he verbalizes things through a speaking valve on his trach. He has not had a single seizure since that day at the playground. He is sung to and held and rocked and danced with and prayed over. He communicates with us. He has even eaten applesauce!
Evan Ralitsev Noll — such a joy to care for! The hardest part of his care is the work we put in to get a smile from him, but once he starts, we get a whole bunch of them.
Evan smiles! God loves HIM that much! Evan smiles! God loves US that much!
To make a difference in the lives of children waiting for families, please consider donating through Colorado Gives by December 10th, 2024. Your support helps more children, like Evan, find loving homes with families like the Nolls. Together, we can create life-changing opportunities for these kids!
