Most of you don’t know about Erick. I haven’t told you because I wasn’t ready. But, today seems like the right time to tell his story. You see, today would have been Erick’s first birthday.
Erick was born to a young, impoverished woman in Guatemala. Like many woman in this situation, she chose to place her child for adoption in order to give him the chance for a better life. However, Erick’s life was already a little more complicated than that of the average baby because he had special needs that the doctors could not diagnose. Erick’s picture was soon placed on a website in order to help find him a family.
We learned about Erick in October 2005 when he was two months old. I feel in love with him immediately. He called to me somehow and my heart melted. My husband and I researched Erick’s special needs as best we could and we felt that they were something that we could handle. We prayed and soon felt God’s confirmation that this was our son.
We began to take the steps to put together our dossier and at the same time we began to open our hearts to this sweet little boy. We lovingly put together packages to send down to him – cute little outfits and soft baby toys. We eagerly watched for updates each month and marveled at how quickly he grew. We received videos and laughed with joy as Erick cooed and smiled for the camera. He was the perfect picture of a happy, healthy baby. We just knew that he was going to be fine and we could not wait for him to finally come home to us.
On February 19th 2006 something happened. We received a call from our facilitator, Melissa, late in the day. She could hardly speak and I knew something was terribly wrong. Finally the words came out, “Rachel, your baby died this afternoon”.
The world ended. The sun fell out of the sky and the light left our lives. We mourned in a way that I never would have imagined possible. Our baby, our beloved first born son, was gone. He fell asleep for his nap and never woke up. We knew he was in a better place, that he was happier than we ever could have made him, but that did not ease the incredible pain of loss. Our arms were empty and would never be filled by this special, special baby.
Five months have now passed and in some ways things are easier. We have found joy in pursuing the adoptions of two more children – Laney and Josiah. They will be Erick’s siblings, even though he never had the chance to meet them. We know that Laney and Josiah will be in our home soon and we are filled with happiness and anticipation. Yet, even in the midst of that joy, there is still a measure of sadness. We will never forget the sweet little boy who blessed our lives in so many ways. He was only here on earth for five short months, but in those months he touched many people and as a result of his life others have become aware of the importance of special needs adoption.
Even in the midst of the pain and sadness that came from Erick’s passing, we rejoice in his life. His smile, his laugh, his sweet spirit were a blessing to everyone who met him. We believe that as the years pass God will bless our home with many adopted children and we are excited to see those children revealed to us. Still, Erick will always hold a special place in our hearts as our firstborn son. I like to think that he can see us from where he is and that he is smiling as he sees the children whose lives will be changed as a result of the impact he had on us, his parents.
Erick, we will always love you and you will never be forgotten.
To see a picture of Erick, you can visit our family blog by clicking HERE.