Spending time with Emily and Dave, you can tell how much they adore being parents. They live in a cozy house with their son Logan, 4, daughter, Isobel, two and a half years old, and recently adopted daughter, Alexis, 16 months old.
Isobel and Alexis were both born with Spina Bifida, a birth defect, which occurs when the bones of the spine, vertebrae, do not form properly around part of the spinal cord. The cause of this birth defect remains a mystery today.
At Home with Isobel and Alexis
“I love my two sisters,” is how Logan introduces me to Isobel and Alexis. They are dressed in matching purple dresses with pink pineapples.
Isobel, the older of the two girls, has been living at home since she was 3 months old. Melinda Klein, LPN, one of Isobel’s skilled nurses, remembers when she met Isobel for the first time. She was on a ventilator and couldn’t hold her head up. Now, Isobel is weaned off the ventilator and stable.
Choosing Adoption
Alexis was introduced to Emily and Dave earlier this year through The Cradle, an adoption agency. The family fell in love with Alexis the minute they laid eyes on her. She is constantly smiling and in good spirits, despite her disability.
Understanding the care and attention required for a medically complex child, Emily and Dave were even more confident moving forward with Alexis’ adoption.
A Smooth Transition Home
Alexis was finally able to come home when the adoption was processed a few weeks ago.
“The kid part is easy,” Dave says, reflecting on Alexis’ transition home. “It’s all the people we’re getting used to.”
Independence Plus, Inc.’s Transition Team trained Alexis’ new nurses with the specifics of her care. “The Transition Team is a tool we use to bring peace and stability back into a family’s life,” says Kristina, RN, BSN, Clinical Transition Manager.
Our Transition Team was at Alexis’ home from the moment she arrived home. The team helps families settle in to their new “normal” with the primary goal being to train a team of nurses to provide the best possible care while also building trust with the family and patient. Once the nurses are fully trained, the team gradually steps away to let the new nurses take over.
Isobel and Alexis’ family prove that family is not about abilities or disabilities. It’s about love. We wish them the best of luck with their growing family!