Matched with Grace—and Joshua

Grace Neilitz has a buddy—Smokey, a big, friendly dog whose warm presence is extra comforting to this little girl with limited vision. When her parents, Melanie and Mike Neilitz of Oregon, decided to adopt a child with a known medical condition, they had been trying for four years to get pregnant, then for yet another year or so to adopt a child with no known medical problems.

As the wait went on and on, their social worker suggested adopting a child with minor/correctable conditions. “We decided to pray about this possibility,” Melanie says. Then they watched in puzzlement as a couple they knew quickly got matched with a child, even though they were behind the Neilitzes in their paperwork. Melanie, a middle- and high-school teacher, and Mike, an insurance salesman, learned that the child had a minor/correctable condition, and they took this as a sign.

“It was like God was saying that if this family was willing to adopt a child with special needs, we can too,” Melanie says. “So we prayed and had a peace about it and informed our social worker of our desires.” Within days, they found themselves matched with Grace. “I remember initially thinking that special need meant something extreme, maybe something we couldn’t handle,” Melanie says. “After reviewing the conditions and then getting Grace and seeing the other girls’ [in our travel group] special needs, my thoughts about it changed. In my mind our girls are all functioning normally despite the circumstance that put them in the special needs category.”

Melanie says that in discussing Grace’s vision challenges—a result of low pigmentation due to albinism—they believe Grace will enjoy what sight she has.

“All we need to do is to equip her with whatever she needs to succeed, whether it be glasses, learning Braille, or purchasing special equipment,” Melanie says. “These to me are simple things, so to me her vision [challenge] is not serious.” Melanie points out that in the United States, “we are so blessed to have the necessary means to help children with special needs. In our case, the school district has already set up an appointment to assess Grace’s development and will help us out with her in this area whether it be therapy, or helping her learn to see better.”

The Neilitzes traveled to China to receive Grace in November 2006. In December 2007 they made a second trip to China—to receive Joshua, their new son. Joshua had a minor heart condition that self-corrected before he came home. He was matched at just 8 months of age.