Meet My Kids: Nolan

 I'd like you to meet Nolan.  He is one of the most amazing boys I know.

This little boy is a fighter and has never stopped trying to do something because someone said he couldn't - and trust me, that has happened plenty.

He is an inspiration to me and I can't wait to see where he will go next!  This is his story:

  

Nolan was abandoned by his parents when he was a year and a half old and after living in a state orphanage for a few years, was taken in by SCH.  He had been diagnosed with cerebral palsy and epilepsy but it wasn't until SCH pushed for and implemented the foster homes about 6 months ago that someone spent enough time with him to realize that something else wasn't right.  His foster moms at the time, Nikki and Sarah (the same Nikki that has returned and is co-fostering with me now) suspected that he had at least some hearing loss.  In October, they took him to the audiologist and it was confirmed - he is 95% deaf.

It was also brought to their attention that he is a great candidate for cochlear implants.  They met with the doctor and after spending about 2 minutes assessing Nolan, she determined that he was not intellectually competent to qualify for/benefit from the CIs.  Just like that.  No, he is not at the same point as other 6 year olds, but that is mostly due to the fact that he grew up in the back room of a government orphanage and no one knew he was deaf!  They communicated with him the same way they did with all the other kids and then he was labeled as delayed when he couldn't keep up!

Nikki, Sarah, and SCH weren't so quick to give up on him though.  They knew how intelligent he is and how much potential is in him and had seen the amazing progress he had made so quickly with people communicating with him in a way he could understand.

And they had a plan.

Over the next few weeks they put together a binder of all his accomplishments.  It included milestones such as learning to walk independently and being potty trained, his social skills such as playing with his siblings and interacting with those around him, and the advances he had made in communication through making gestures and beginning to learn sign language.  Over all, it was a binder full of proof that he is intelligent and developing just like any other boy, albeit slower because of his circumstances.

Once the binder was complete, three days were spent going to doctors and specialists advocating for this boy and the chance for a better life for him.  After being called mentally retarded and incapable of learning by some, one psychologist spent almost two hours actually getting to know him and agreed that he is intelligent and would benefit greatly from CIs.  In the end, after all the evidence and referrals, a doctor agreed and Nolan is getting his cochlear implants on February 13th!

As great as that news is, it will also bring a lot of changes for our little family - the biggest of which is moving to the big city.  Nolan will need a year of follow up therapy to ensure the implants are as effective as possible and that is only available in Hyderabad, where he will be having the surgery.  Rather than moving him away from the rest of his family here, Nikki and I will be moving to Hyderabad with all 7 of our kids to keep them together.  We haven't gotten exact dates for the move yet but we're shooting for sometime in the next couple of weeks...

The move to Hyderabad will also open up a lot of opportunities for not only Nolan but his siblings as well.  We are hoping to get both Nolan and Lily enrolled in a mainstream school and possibly look for a school for Molly too.  We can hopefully get a speech therapist to work with a few of our kids.  There is also the benefit of better hospitals and more options of places to go and things to do with the kids, not to mention an English speaking church!

It will be a lot of change but I think it will also be such a great opportunity for them all - especially Nolan.

Looking back at the way he has been learning and growing the past 6 months, I can't wait to see what else he can do.  One of my favorite parts of the day is when I get to do school with him in the afternoon.  Every day he gets better and learns something more.  He is currently learning the ABCs and ASL (his name sign was just given to him by a woman and her adopted son in the UK that both have cochlear implants!) and working on matching colors and shapes and improving his fine motor skills.  I am so proud of all that he has accomplished and am excited to see the doors that being able to hear and go to school will open for him!

Here's the catch.  To cover the surgery and follow up therapy, we need to raise $11,000.  At first that seemed like an almost impossible amount, but right now the total of all that has come in is over $9,000 - leaving less than $2,000 to go!  People from all over the world are letting him know that not everyone thinks he is worthless and unable to learn.  They are telling him that he is cared about and loved and that they believe in him.  If you would like to join them in supporting this special boy, you can get more information and give financially here.  Let's give Nolan a shot at something that could change his life and give him a better future.

He is such an incredible, fun, intelligent, and loving boy that has overcome so much and I am blessed to know him.

He is a fighter and a real life superhero.

Please pray for Nolan's upcoming surgery, that it would go well, be successful, and open up many doors for him.  Also, please pray that as the doctors, nurses, and therapists work with him that their eyes would be opened and their hearts would change towards children like him.

Nolan, you are an inspiration.  The world would be a better (and much more fun) place if there were more people like you in it.  Love you, buddy!