Then And Now: The 4 Abandoned Children Who Found Forever Families At myLIFEspeaks
Updated: Jul 27, 2022
Ella, Nora, Zara, and Zion came into myLIFEspeaks' forever care when they were found abandoned at a Haitian hospital and neglected. Haitian Child Services released these four precious children into our permanent care in September 2020, giving them a second chance at LIFE. We placed them in two of our myLIFEspeaks-supported families where they are now thriving!
Zion, Zara, and Ella joined our newly created sixth family home with parents Marcelin and Donia Joseph. The trio gained three additional siblings in Marcelin and Donia's two biological children, Elie and Elazar, and niece, Sara, who they've raised since she was a baby.
“We always wanted many children but after our second son was born, the doctor told us it wouldn’t be possible to have any other children due to complications. We were devastated at the fact that our dreams had been shattered but we continued to pray and trust in The Lord. God had a much different and bigger plan than we could have ever imagined, God gave us 3 more children! It may not have looked the way we envisioned it but it was so much better than we ever dreamed. We see God in the eyes of all six of our children every day," Marcelin says.
ZION
Zion is almost entirely unrecognizable from the emaciated 7 lbs little boy we rescued in September 2020. Today, Zion is not only a healthy weight for his age but we now lovingly refer to him as "Chunky Boy". He is also catching up developmentally. He continues to grow, mature, and is smiling more; a smile that is contagious!
In August 2021, Zion officially took his first steps on his own and has been on the move since, keeping us all on our toes. He is very motivated by food and can crawl on his hands and knees, pull himself up to stand, and walk with good stability and occasional falls.
He is starting to cause “trouble” at home because he’s now mobile and likes to go explore on his own. Zion is also babbling a lot and will repeat sounds. He has made so many gains in his gross/fine motor skills in therapy and soon we anticipate his speech/oral skills will take off too.
He brings joy and a zest for life to all who are around him. Zion is adored and cherished by his parents, siblings, friends, and the entire myLIFEspeaks' community. (See above images of his miraculous transformation).
ELLA
This girl is all smiles! She is happy all the time unless she is hungry. She has completely transitioned into LIFE with her new family and is loving it. She is a little bit spoiled by all the love she receives from her new family and friends but we think it is completely worth it. She loves to smile and this is her biggest form of communication. She is eating well and growing quickly.
Ella loves being with her new siblings and parents, Marcelin and Donia. She goes to LIFE Therapy regularly for physical therapy to work on head control and stretching and is making progress. Ella enjoys riding in the stroller with her little brother, Zion. She is a little bundle of pure joy!
ZARA
Shortly after Zara came into myLIFEspeaks' care, we realized that she is blind, however, she is able to see light and turn towards it. Due to this, she is constantly wanting to move, spin around, kick her legs and move her arms. She has a lot of energy and we love it!
Zara is doing great and loves coming to physical therapy at LIFE Therapy Clinic, but once she is done she lets us know it! She LOVES music and hearing people talk or sing to her. She is able to stand up with support and will take steps with assistance. Zara is thriving with her new family and we are pleased with her continued growth and development.
NORA
Update as of May 2022:
Tragically, Nora had a seizure in her sleep and passed away as a result on May 22, 2022. We are devastated by her loss but grateful to have been part of her redemptive story by allowing her a second chance at LIFE and a loving, forever family. You can read Nora's memorial here.
Nora, the fourth child rescued from the abandoned children's unit of the hospital, joined the family home of parents, Rigal and Milande. Nora was welcomed with open arms by their three other myLIFEspeaks' children and two biological children. Nora is their first child with special needs.
Nora is spoiled and adored by her siblings and her parents. We often find her sitting out front of her house with her dad, Rigal. Her brothers and sisters tend to wrestle for her attention. They love playing with her and always want to be around her. When they get home from school, the first thing they ask is “Where's Nora?”.
Nora regularly goes to LIFE Therapy to continue working on developing functional movement. She has shown improvement in head control and is now able to turn her head to look for things she hears.
We are excited to see her continue to grow into who God created her to be. She is eating and playing well and it's as if she has been a part of this family forever! She received a great report from her medical checkup/lab work and we continue to work with her to determine a proper neurological diagnosis. However, we remain confident that her new family and their love will be the best medicine ever.
All four children are sleeping well, eating well, are surrounded in love, and living the LIFE they have always deserved with their forever family! They continue to grow, mature, and take great strides in LIFE. Thank you for supporting myLIFEspeaks' ministry and helping make forever families like these possible!
Read how they came to myLIFEspeaks: "Children Abandoned At Hospital Find Forever Families"
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