CHARRISSA BROWNING ECHOED THE SENTIMENT: “ADOPTION IS NOT FOR EVERYONE, BUT EVERYONE CAN DO SOMETHING.” paid twice what I was asking for, and that helps me get to where I’m going.” The Brownings: Growing a Big Family Charrissa Browning and her husband Phillip, of Port Orchard, Washington, already had a big family when their sixth child, Justus, was born with Down syndrome in 2009. As an infant, he underwent open-heart surgery. Once he had recovered, Charrissa started researching Down syndrome and came across Reece's Rainbow and was immediately drawn to the children listed on the site. “Down syndrome is such a personal thing for us. I read profile after profile and couldn't believe the difference between my child and the photos online,” she said. In June of 2010, the Brownings decided to adopt two children from Ukraine—a boy Maxim and a girl Ivana. Both were around 5 years of age at the time and in the same institution. To raise their adoption fees, Charrissa sold things, fundraised on her blog and hosted a silent auction. They were able to adopt Max just before he turned 6, before he was moved to an adult facility. “It's a place with a mixed population of individuals with mental and health conditions.
Once there, children have an 80-percent chance of dying because of neglect and also abuse from other patients. It's also more difficult to adopt once they're transferred,” Charrissa explained. Their daughter, Ivana, has Down syndrome, and like their son, Justus, had needed heart surgery after birth—except she had never received the proper care. Ivana was born with a hole in her heart and had been relinquished by her parents. It's a miracle she survived the years she did before they adopted her, Charrissa said. “When we met her, her head was shaved, she weighed 20 pounds and wore clothing sized for 18- to 24-month-olds. She was in a laying room where all they did was sleep or lay in a communal crib—like a playpen,” Charrissa said. “When we met the orphanage's director, he saw the difference between our son and the others and even remarked on that.” Ivana was not only suffering from her condition, she was also dehydrated. During their stay, the Brownings were allowed two visits per day and began sneaking her juice and snacks to build her strength. “It was heartbreaking because some of the children realized that ours were coming home,” Charrissa said. “We'll always have a passion; it's
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an overwhelming need.” In December 2010, they brought home Max and Ivana, now 13 and 12, and they immediately began to thrive. That first year with three new children with special needs was a difficult one, but they relied on their faith to help them through. “God called us to this. We had to rely on a strength that was bigger than us,” she said. The Wallaces: Fulfilling the Desire to Give a Child a Home Andrea and Matt Wallace always knew they wanted to adopt. Although they already had a large family—eight children with seven at home between the ages of 3 and 17—they had been foster parents in Washington. When they moved to Bonners Ferry, Idaho, however, the state's foster system did not allow them to continue fostering because of their family size. After the rejection, a friend of Andrea's referred her to Reece's Rainbow. Once she got more involved in the online adoption community, she learned about the plight of orphaned children with medical needs. “It's such an eye opener to see the neglect and abuse that goes on,” Andrea said.