International Adoption
A Miracle for MerriLyn
Zhou Qi needed a forever family. At the age of eight, she was living in an orphanage in China, where she received good care and an education, but didn’t receive the nurturing that comes with belonging to a genuine family. Additionally, she suffered from kyphoscoliosis, which created a severe curvature of the spine. Without medical intervention, it seemed unlikely she would live to be an adult.
Mary Zoet of AAI met Zhou while on a mission project to renovate the orphanage where Zhou lived. Empathetic to the girl’s plight, she posted information about Zhou on AAI’s web site, where she was discovered by Carol and Kirk Loadman-Copeland of Denver, Colorado, who were interested in a second Chinese adoption; daughter LinsiAn, adopted at age 2, was 10 at the time, and is now 13.
Carol contacted Mary for more information, then took the information to her pediatrician, who recommended a Denver specialist. Carol later discovered that the specialist is one of only a handful of people worldwide who could perform the operation. After reviewing the information, the specialist was confident that he could correct Zhou’s spine, and so the Loadman-Copelands began the adoption process.
When they talked to LinsiAn about the potential to include a new sister in the family, LinsiAn expressed uncertainly until after she watched the video of Zhou. After seeing the images, she turned to Carol and said, “Mom, I think I want her.”
From then on every minute counted. Through the advocacy of Adoption Alliance in Denver and Ming Hua He and Mary Zoet of Adoption Associates, and hard work on behalf of Carol and Kirk, the family was able to accomplish all that needed to be done to finalize the paperwork in record time. Zhou came home in November of 2007. Once home, Carol and Kirk gave her the name “MerriLyn”. MerriLyn had successful surgery in the summer of 2008 which resulted in her gaining 6 inches of height! What a miracle!
MerriLyn has adjusted well to life in the United States, although she still speaks of missing China and enjoys noodles rather than cold cereal for breakfast. With her sister, she is enrolled in a Mandarin Chinese immersion charter school, Global Village Academy, where she receives half of her instruction in Mandarin and half in English. “If you’re going to adopt internationally, you need to be prepared to make room for another culture in your family life,” says Carol.
The family has helped MerriLyn to maintain contact with friends from the orphanage who have been adopted in the United States. “It really helps for adoptive families to have contact with other adoptive families,” says Carol. “There are lots of adoptive families in our area, and several in our girls’ school.” “My advice to people considering adoption is, don’t hesitate,” says Carol. “It’s a great way to build a family.”
More information
For more information on adopting from China, call 616.667.0921, visit our China Adoption web page, or request a free adoption information packet for more information on this program.
