Marcus

Marcus is a  young boy in an Eastern European country, who was born with what is commonly known as Spina Bifida. This means that he is not able to walk at the time, and might never be. Marcus is a bright and clever boy, but he is a bit shy about his disability. When it was his turn to get pictures taken, he covered his legs with a blanket :-( He has the biggest, most beautiful, soulful eyes, and a bit of a careful smile.

Rene over at Butbygraceitcouldbeme, met Marcus when she was adopting her daughter from the same group. She has this to say about him:

 " He'll be 10 this December.  He has spina bifida and uses a wheelchair.  I've met him, personally, and talked with him.  He's sweet.  He's reserved.  And he's sad, because he truly believes no one will want a kid who doesn't walk.   He goes to school and is in the typical classes for a kid his age.  He was one of the first kids to get his photo taken by the facilitator- one of the first ones to admit he would like to be adopted last spring.  And now, he's the very last of that group of kids to be waiting.  Everyone else has been chosen- except for him.  So, he's going to see nine other kids be adopted this year (ten if you count our Emma from a couple of months ago) and no one come for him.  

The grief for me here is this:  Spring of 2011, he refused to let the facilitator take pictures of his legs or even see his legs, because he was so ashamed of them and felt like no family would want him because his legs were shriveled and useless.  February of 2012, he watched us there for six weeks, choosing to adopt Emma, whose legs were also useless and malformed, and he would stare at us.  He clearly didn't understand why we would want a kid that couldn't walk.  However- something about us being there and wanting Emma despite her wheelchair-dependent status touched Marcus' heart.  He agreed to be photographed again and this time, he took a big risk- he didn't cover his legs.  

I am literally in tears and nearly sick at my stomach at the thought of him realizing everyone else has a family and he does not- because I KNOW he's going to automatically assume it's because of his legs.  The thought of him feeling that rejected and passed over, I'd rather be punched in the gut than feel the way I do right now thinking about it.  "

Marcus is in a well run orphanage, where the children can go to school, the caretakers love them and the children treat each other well. But there is no future for Marcus in this country. He will be sent to live out his days in a mental institute. We just can't let that happen to this little boy. If you want to see his profile on Reece's Rainbow, go here. He has  $2954 in a grant towards the cost of his adoption. There are other children available for adoption in the same orphanage as him, if you are interested in adoptig more than one child.