When was the last time one of your expecting friends said to you: “I hope this baby has Down syndrome?”
…awkward silence…
You’ve probably never, ever heard that before, but now, you have. Andy and Mercedes Lara said that to their parents one day. Except they weren’t having a baby the “traditional” way. They felt called to adopt and not to adopt a “normal” baby but one with Down syndrome.
Why would a young, vibrant couple want to adopt a child with lifelong needs? Andy gave an insight into their story with this from their adoption fundraising site:
We had committed as a part of our marriage that we would adopt children no matter what God would bring us, and we decided to start this year.
Mercedes has worked in the Special Needs industry for 9 years and she expressed her heart’s desire to me to adopt a child with Down syndrome, and I agreed and moved forward. Mercedes is an advocate and an educator for people with Special Needs and I couldn’t feel surer of this blessing to pursue.
On June 3, 2013, Sunflower Mae was born. Her new parents drove 8 hours to the hospital to pick her up. Thanks to a woman’s heart for those with special needs, as well as the support of her husband, a sweet little girl escaped the tragic fate of 90% of those like her and was blessed with a family’s love.
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However, a quick look at her parents’ Instagram, Tumblr and Twitter feeds will tell you that they (and countless others) are blessed by Sunny (and her sweet smile) even more.
