{"id":259620,"date":"2021-12-27T07:39:15","date_gmt":"2021-12-27T13:39:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.liveaction.org\/news\/?p=259620"},"modified":"2021-12-24T11:16:30","modified_gmt":"2021-12-24T17:16:30","slug":"couple-daughters-special-needs-adoption","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/couple-daughters-special-needs-adoption\/","title":{"rendered":"Couple adds two daughters with special needs to their family through adoption"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;\" class=\"sharethis-inline-share-buttons\" ><\/div><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Where some see challenges, Randall and Kelly Nichols of Hampton, Virginia, see opportunities. Nowhere was that more true than in the adoption of their two daughters with Down syndrome.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The couple, who were already parents to three children, didn\u2019t have the money for an expensive international adoption. They were also told that adopting children with special needs would ruin their lives. But the couple didn\u2019t let those concerns stand in their way.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">According to a 2016 <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/cmsedit.cbn.com\/cbnnews\/us\/2016\/march\/thousands-of-dollars-couldnt-keep-these-parents-from-their-daughter\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">interview with CBN News<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, the couple always knew they would adopt and they were open to any child who needed a home. Initially, they pursued adoption in the United States, but when they saw a photo of their now-daughter Aiyla in China they were instantly smitten.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To raise money for the international adoption\u2014which can easily cost $35,000 to $40,000\u2014the couple had to get creative. In addition to contributions from family, friends, and even strangers, the couple held yard sales, made t-shirts and bracelets, and set up a GoFundMe page that generated significant monetary support.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cWe had to trust God for every dollar,\u201d Randall said. \u201cWe knew that we couldn&#8217;t do it alone.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Eighteen months later, the couple traveled to China to take their daughter home. The couple recalled the experience being an emotional one with many tears shed. The support they received when they arrived home was immeasurable, and they were greeted at the airport by a crowd of 20 to 30 people.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/d6GewCpuC30\" width=\"640\" height=\"355\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><span data-mce-type=\"bookmark\" style=\"display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;\" class=\"mce_SELRES_start\">\ufeff<\/span><\/iframe>\n<\/p>\n<p><strong>READ:\u00a0<em><a href=\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/son-down-syndrome-inspires-adopt-daughters\/\">Son with Down syndrome inspires parents to adopt three daughters with the condition<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Raising a child with special needs is not without its challenges, but the couple says the joys far outweigh the hardships. It wasn\u2019t long after adopting Aiyla that the Nicholses began considering adding another child with special needs to their family through adoption. In fact, the couple knew they\u2019d adopt again when they picked up Aiyla from the orphanage. The babies there were silent because they had learned that crying was a waste of energy\u2014no one was coming to pick them up, the couple <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.lovewhatmatters.com\/ive-never-had-this-what-do-you-mean-a-meal-with-a-family-two-adoptions-down-syndrome\/?fbclid=IwAR1umll7xp25b2LI7gz0hT966--90OcbiKdAGowCR4DLi7rkbHxeGMh3OB8\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">explained<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/news.amomama.com\/284454-couple-adopt-2-girls-down-syndrome-frien.html\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">next adoption<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> took place in Seattle after the couple learned of a baby girl in the NICU who had Down syndrome and multiple complex medical needs. It was a bittersweet moment for the couple. The biological mother loved her baby girl but was in the United States on a travel visa and worried she wouldn\u2019t be able to care for her daughter.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There is a farm abroad named after their baby girl, and Randall and Kelly hope to take their daughter there to visit one day. The biological mother continues to be a part of her little one\u2019s life through late-night video calls and photos.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cIt\u2019s so beautiful\u2014and so hard\u2014but we are grateful for this family God\u2019s given us and so these phone calls feel like sacred ground,\u201d the couple said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A solid support system has played a crucial role in bolstering the couple and helping them to get through the countless hospital visits, therapies, and more. Not everyone, however, has been supportive. The couple said some claimed they were crazy for adopting two children with special needs.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Recognizing the need for a support system to care for the needs of vulnerable children and families impacted by foster care and adoption, the couple launched the non-profit organization, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wearetheecho.org\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ECHO Family Care Partners<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. The organization is built on the premise that every child deserves a safe and stable family, and every family needs a supportive community.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Nicholses&#8217; story is a breath of fresh air in a time when so many parents are encouraged to abort their Down syndrome babies. The Nicholses\u2014and so many other families\u2014recount the unbelievable joys of having a child with Down syndrome. Even so, tragically, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/lozierinstitute.org\/new-study-abortion-after-prenatal-diagnosis-of-down-syndrome-reduces-down-syndrome-community-by-thirty-percent\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">roughly 67%<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> of preborn children with a Down syndrome diagnosis in the United States are aborted.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Families like the Nicholses serve as an inspiration for families facing the unknown when they learn their child has been diagnosed with Down syndrome or are considering adopting a child with special needs. Their story is a beautiful reminder of the true reality of a Down syndrome diagnosis\u2014that the joys far outweigh the hardships.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/liveactionnewsonline\/?ref=br_rs\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u201cLike\u201d Live Action News on Facebook<\/a> for more pro-life news and commentary!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Where some see challenges, Randall and Kelly Nichols of Hampton, Virginia, see opportunities. Nowhere was that more true than in the adoption of their two daughters with Down syndrome. The couple, who were already parents to three children, didn\u2019t have the money for an expensive international adoption. They were also told that adopting children with [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":809,"featured_media":259622,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false},"categories":[9455,3473],"tags":[804,429,14841,1370],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v20.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Couple adds two daughters with special needs to their family through adoption<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The Nicholses and so many other families tell of the joys of having a child with Down syndrome, as they adopted two daughters with the condition.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/couple-daughters-special-needs-adoption\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" 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