In their own words

In their o n ords

An unbreakable bond

This is a tale of two sisters, each unique in their own special way.

Ten-year-old Vivian loves all things science and ice skating. Renley is 4 and enjoys the Disney phenomenon “Frozen.” While their interests are very different, the sisters share a unique bond. They were each adopted by the Tunell family before turning 2 years old.

They also have another shared experience; they both have complex medical conditions and have spent a significant portion of their lives at Cook Children’s.

Stephanie and Eric Tunell always knew they wanted to foster and potentially adopt children. Along with Vivian and Renley, their family consists of two biological sons, 21-year-old Ryan and 19-year-old Kyle.

“I love the quote, ‘I have four children; two of them are adopted; I forgot which two,’” Stephanie said. “I’m not sure who said it first, but it’s perfect.”

Even though the sisters are not biological, Vivian will tell you that she and Renley have a connection,

not because they are both adopted, but because they are sisters.

Vivian was prematurely born at 29 weeks at John Peter Smith Hospital and immediately was placed with foster parents, Stephanie and Eric. She was then transferred to Cook Children’s to receive a feeding tube, so she could safely and effectively gain weight.

“Because she was extremely premature, no one thought she would ever walk,” Stephanie recalled. “At the time, Child Protective Services had put her on a waiting list to live in a residential treatment center for when she turned 18 and aged out of the foster care system. We had no idea what her future would hold.”

Today, Vivian’s health has significantly improved, and she’s taking all Advanced Placement classes at school.

“Vivian is a miracle. She had a few developmental delays when we adopted her at 16 months old, but nothing permanent,” Stephanie said. “She started

Renley, 4 years old, and Vivian, 10 years old

walking the week before her adoption. We have pictures of her walking down to meet the judge on her adoption day.”

A few years later, the Tunell family made the decision to foster again.

When Stephanie and Eric first met Renley at 8 weeks old, it was love at first sight. Their intention was just to be a foster family, but that changed almost immediately. The medically fragile baby stole their hearts, and Renley was officially adopted on her first birthday. Renley was born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome and developed pulmonary vein stenosis, a combination of complex congenital heart defects.

Before the Tunells even met Renley, she had already undergone her first of several open heart surgeries.

“I’m not sure we fully understood the severity of her condition,” Stephanie said. “Renley’s cardiologist, Dr. Lisa Roten, has been instrumental in our story. She set us straight and provided us with the tools to care for her properly. Dr. Steve Muyskens is now our primary cardiologist and he continues to support us in our care of Renley.”

It is apparent that there is a lot of love and support within the Tunell family, especially between Renley and Vivian. As Stephanie says, “They are sisters through and through.”