Hello, we are the Tamblyn family; John, Katherine and Lucy. My mother, who suffers from short-term memory loss, has lived with us for over 17 years and is a special member of our family, too . . . In 2005, I was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of cervical cancer. My treatment involved a radical hysterectomy, and though curative, left me unable to have children.

For our family, adoption is the only option. For some families, the news of not being able to have biological children would be devastating. For us, it was reassurance of God’s love and confirmation of His plan for our family! Our decision to adopt internationally from China was based on their strong and long-standing relationship with the United States regarding adoption and their relationship with our adoption agency, Lifeline Children’s Services. However, due to circumstances and obstacles beyond our control, our waiting time kept increasing from the original eighteen months we had anticipated at the beginning of the process. Our family was in process for eight years, patiently waiting, when we were blessed with news of our daughter! We welcomed Lucy into our arms and family on June 17, 2013. She was two years old at the time and was from an orphanage in Maoming, China.

Initially, Lucy cried a lot when we first adopted her and brought her home. She also experienced night terrors consistently for almost three months, then on and off again for the next year whenever she faced a new challenge or change in her schedule. Thankfully, we were educated by our adoption agency regarding the risks and challenges associated with international adoption. The training was beneficial in helping us understand and cope with our daughters grieving when leaving the orphanage, and when dealing with night terrors. Additionally, Lifeline’s post-adoption team, along with our case social worker, provided encouragement, guidance, and reassurance either on the phone or directly in person once we were home. We are extremely grateful for the care our daughter received in her orphanage in Maoming, and the love and encouragement she received by being a part of the Half the Sky Program. Today, our happy, well- adjusted little girl is able to share and receive love, laugh and experience joy because she experienced this first-hand as a child . . .

Through the gift of adoption, we have experienced the love and blessing of parenthood. Our daughter has brought an abundance of joy into our family and made us more aware of what the important things in life really are. We find ourselves much more appreciative of God, our family, and each beautiful moment we are able to share together. We would like to thank the CCCWA for their relationship with our country and Lifeline Children’s Services regarding adoption, their commitment to the welfare of children and for allowing families such as ours to experience the joy of adopting one of your countries beautiful children.