Belane

Visit the Henderson family blog to read the most heart-touching story I've heard in a long time of their beautiful little three-year-old Belane who just came home to her new family from Ethiopia. Belane was adopted from AHOPE through AAI (Adoption Advocates International). The wait for families seeking to adopt a healthy baby from Ethiopia is a long one as they wait for a child to become available. HIV+ children of all ages however, wait and wait and wait for a family to adopt them. Belane is one of the lucky HIV+ orphans who has found a family, though I know her family would say that actually they are the lucky ones to have found her. When we started our adoption, there was no way I would have considered adopting an HIV+ child, as I was simply ignorant of the astounding medical advances that have been made for the treatment of HIV. Since embarking on this journey though, I've learned that HIV is no longer considered a death sentence here in America, but rather a chronic manageable disease. With treatment, there is no reason why an HIV+ child cannot enjoy a full life. Also, with treatment, the amount of the virus in the child's body is kept as such low levels that the risk of transmission to other family members is extremely low. Another awesome blog to check out is Rich over No More Counting the Cost. His two daughters, one of which is HIV+ will be coming home very soon.