To Noah, The Children’s Home & Lemieux Family Center was his home for a period of time. We had birthday parties and holidays with Noah; and we were his family (in a way) before he met his mom and dad, Dave and Michaela Robbins. That’s why it was funny (but not surprising) to hear his response about his most favorite thing about The Children’s Home… our chocolate pudding.
Noah has a very rare orthopedic condition called arthrogryposis, which impacts his joints, spine, and respiratory system. Because Noah needs a ventilator and has a gastrostomy tube (g-tube), we have spent a lot of time with him in his first five years of life training his foster families. Each time Noah transferred to a new foster home through Allegheny County Children Youth and Families, The Children’s Home would train the new foster parents in our Pediatric Specialty Hospital on how to take care of his medical needs.
Noah is extraordinary in so many ways. To meet him is to know him because he has an incredible way of connecting with others. He connected with Dave and Michaela Robbins, volunteers at The Children’s Home, in a very special way. Dave and Michaela had played with Noah during their volunteer time at The Children’s Home and happened to be looking to adopt through foster care, and also through The Children’s Home. At the same time, The Children’s Home SWAN Program was working with Allegheny County Children Youth and Families to achieve permanency for Noah. Once Dave and Michaela realized Noah was looking for a permanent resource, the rest was history.
The staff at The Children’s Home provided Dave, Michaela, and Noah with the foundation on which they built their family. They became friends, not as potential parents and a child who needed a home, but as volunteers playing with a child. As their relationship evolved and they were learning about one another, The Children’s Home provided Dave and Michaela with the education they needed to take care of Noah’s medical and emotional needs.
Here’s their enchanting story:
There are over 3,000 children looking for permanent homes in Pennsylvania’s foster care system varying in age, with different social, emotional, and physical needs. You can view some of these children by clicking here: http://adoptpakids.org/
What’s unique about this is that despite The Children’s Home having two programs specific to children with medical needs, our Adoption Program doesn’t typically place children with the type of medical needs that Noah has. It is also incredibly rare for a foster child placed with a pre-adoptive family through our Adoption Program to also be in our Pediatric Specialty Hospital.
You can help us continue to provide free services to help families like the Robbins. A donation in any amount ensures that no family leaves the Pediatric Specialty Hospital with a medical bill and that we can continue to find homes for children like Noah.