Jael Roark, Sister

(THE POOLE FAMILY SERIES: Jael Roark, Sister)

It’s hard to remember when these children weren’t a part of our family. I vaguely remember my parents telling us that they were adopting a special needs child almost 13 years ago. It was strange for us because my 4 other brothers and sisters and myself were adults at this point (minus the youngest who was still in high school). We had moved out of the house and begun lives of our own. The idea of my parents adopting a small child was strange, not because he had Down syndrome, but because they had already raised their children. Weren’t they supposed to begin their “Golden Years” and wait patiently for grandbabies? Well, that is not what God had in store for them. 

They brought J.T. home when he was 3 and he instantly became a Poole, not just in name but in all the ways that mattered. Every one of us had an instant connection with him, like he was meant to be a part of our lives. I remember him being the ring bearer in my wedding and dancing the night away at the reception. He loves music almost as much as he loves hamburgers and french fries. The journey didn’t end there of course, my parents were compelled to adopt 4 more children with Down syndrome after J.T. each one with their own story of how they found their way to our family. They are very lucky to have found such wonderful parents and I think my parents got a little lucky too!

#TheLuckyFew #TheLuckyFewFoundation #DownSyndrome #ThisIsDownSyndrome