Hometown Clinton - Fall 2016

mom meant that she had to not have a mom first. It all bombarded my
mind and heart, and I was exhausted. It was a really sad night.”
“We were realigning our perspective,” said Robby. “It wasn’t going
to be a seamless transition; we just needed to gear up. This was going
to be an adjustment. We saw her the next day very briefly, and the
third day we were going to take her from the orphanage to our hotel.
That was the ceremonial checking out of the orphanage and into our
care. It was really moving to see the orphanage workers, who had
known her since she arrived, being very sad to see her go but hopeful
that this would be better. Eden was very safe and comfortable in her
environment there, which meant she felt protected and cared for.”
“It was neat for us to see the network of people that had
preserved her life and carried her life before she was entrusted to our
care,” added Robby. “The orphanage sourced funds for her through
grants from a Canadian orphan support/medical support agency that
financed surgeries done in India, which unquestionably saved her
legs. Particularly on her left foot, the severity was such that they could
have easily decided to amputate, but instead they found the funds to
reconstruct the foot. It is, to this day, her strongest foot.”
After the ceremonial exit from the orphanage, the Followells
spent a couple of days in Calcutta with Eden. “Those days were crazy
and filled with tears,” said Robby.
“She cried herself to sleep, sweated through all her clothes,
screamed like we were hurting her when we tried to brush her teeth or
just give her a quick rinse off,” said Jessica.
“Everything felt very foreign to her: us, her daily encounters, the
food she was eating. Everything was so different than all
she had known, so everything was a huge hurdle. Even meal time
became quite an ordeal,” said Robby.
“I was terrified that she wasn’t going to let us feed her, and she
wouldn’t at first,” said Jessica. “Finally, I got out a chocolate chip
granola bar to feed myself, and she looked at me and held out her
hand. She ate granola bars for a whole day.”
“We left Calcutta and made it to Delhi for a few days,” said Robby.
“That was one of the hardest days, traveling with her to get her to the
country’s capital for all of the official process meetings that had to
happen. After a few days there, we began the trip back home. We made
it back to Jackson after a total of 10 days away. Of course, Meg wasn’t
with us, so we were very anxious to get back home, for the girls to meet,
and for us to all be together for the first time. We got back on December
12, 2014, and we felt great.”
“Meg was and has been the most accepting and most patient
with the whole Eden encounter. During the entire transition, Meg has
demonstrated the most grace,” added Robby.
“Eden felt the most comfortable with her at first because they’re
both kids,” said Jessica. “They speak their own language of playing
and goldfish and things like that. Meg has transitioned so well and still
handles Eden better than we do. So many things happen such as Meg
introducing her little sister into her play group. She’ll say, ‘This is Eden.
She is brown and has funny fingers. Let’s play!’ She just lays it out there,
and we don’t have to teach her that people are different. She lives with
a sister that is different, and it is sweet that it gets to be a normal part of
her life that she embraces. They’re inseparable. They pull each other’s
hair and stuff, too, because they’re sisters, but that has been one of the
biggest joys—to be able to watch them become sisters.”
“That was a transition too, though. I would say the first two
months were probably the hardest,” added Jessica.
“It got increasingly easier, but it would not exactly qualify
as a smooth transition,” said Robby. “With a child as spirited and
opinionated as Eden, there was so much to break in her—the fear,
the distrust, and the fact that she couldn’t speak our language even
though she should have been able to communicate verbally. There
was incredible frustration on her part to be able to convey what she
wanted. It was a slow but definite progression to her being at a place
of trust and comfort.”
“She has had three surgeries since we have been home, but
probably the least difficult part of the transition was the thing we
were most concerned about when we were bringing her home, which
was her physical conditions and her special needs,” said Robby. “We
have found lots of resources available to us to facilitate a lot of that
care she has needed. We have had positive experiences with several
medical institutions. That has felt incredibly smooth. She is not just
walking but is running. She is very active, and there is very little
concern as to her long-term abilities, such as writing. Even now, she is
able to write with just three fingers on her left hand and one finger on
her right. She doesn’t have toes really, but she has very capable feet.
More surgeries in the future will continue to improve her function
and ability.”
“It was difficult with a lot of emotional challenges and stress,
but, no question, our family is so much better off because of her
inclusion,” added Robby. “The three years before bringing her home
changed our faith and deepened our perspective on God’s plan
in huge ways. The dependence we have needed to walk with her
and grow in love for her over these last two years has been hugely
influential in who we are. We think about her future. She came from
India, in a culture where physical disabilities and an orphaned
state would have forever marked her and challenged her, to a place
of belonging with parents who are fully for her and a culture that
is much more accepting of physical differences and will give her
opportunities that she wouldn’t have had elsewhere in a place like
America in Mississippi. We are so grateful to be able to facilitate in
that future for her.”
“I don’t think we rescued her,” said Jessica. “I think the policeman
that picked her up and took her to the hospital and the nurses who
took care of her and the surgeon that worked on her foot and the
people in Canada that sent money and the people in the orphanage:
those were her rescuers. But the part that we get to play is so neat
because we got to deliver her into a family. We are so thankful to the
MEG HAS TRANSITIONED
SO WELL AND STILL
HANDLES EDEN BETTER
THAN WE DO. SO MANY
THINGS HAPPEN SUCH
AS MEG INTRODUCING
HER LITTLE SISTER INTO
HER PLAY GROUP.
SHE’LL SAY, ‘THIS IS
EDEN. SHE IS BROWN
AND HAS FUNNY
FINGERS. LET’S PLAY!’
38 • Aug/Sept/Oct 2016 Hometown Clinton • 39