I sent off Michael's last post placement report today, to the adoption folks in Kazakhstan. I usually don't include a letter but since this is the last one, I decided to include a letter and a couple of extra photos.
There is a perception in Asian countries that handicapped people are to be shunned, or kept away from public view, that they are "bad luck." That's why so many handicapped kids wind up in orphanages. Schools and workplaces don't want handicapped workers. They are to be given a begging bowl and a government subsistence check. That's why it was so important to the ladies in Mike's orphanage to get him out of the country, and into an American home. He is so bright, and such a good kid.
[BTW, I hope and pray the attitudes towards handicapped people in Asian countries will change, and are changing...]
With that cultural bias in mind, and the bias towards adopted kids, it was important to me to let the adoption folks know that like so many other limb different people, my son is talented and active and awesome.
Dear Kazakhstan Adoption Authorities:
Please find enclosed the final post placement report of my son Michael Robert Thompson. He will be 18 in a few months. As you can see from the report, Michael is doing very well. He is a good boy and makes good grades in school. He has many friends. He loves sports. He loves games and music.
He helps me with small jobs at home. He babysits other kids, boys adopted from Russia.
Michael has his own car, and he paid for it by working last summer. He will be a lifeguard this summer at the pool in our neighborhood after he passes his lifeguard certification tests.
In a couple of years Michael will go to college. He will probably become a teacher. His hand doesn’t matter. In America, employers hire based on a person’s abilities, and handicapped people are hired every day.
I am very proud of my son and what a fine young man he is today.
There are many orphans in Kazkhstan like Michael. They may have a missing hand, or another kind of disability. They may be blind or deaf. There are Americans who would still adopt them. Americans will adopt older kids, too.
In America, being adopted is not hidden. It’s not a secret, or shameful. Adopted children are like all children. They want a decent home, and parents to love them.
Please make it easier for children like Michael to be adopted.
Dee Thompson
above and below, my little guy
above - Mike water skis, snow skis, goes to dances, drives his own car - what a long way he has come, and what a bright future he has ahead!
