The most generous offer....

We have been so very blessed to receive an amazing gift. A donor has offered to match donations, dollar for dollar, up to a total of $2000!

Your $1 will turn into $2, your $5 will turn into $10...will you please consider donating even one dollar to Natasha ("Xenia" on Reece's Rainbow)?

You can donate via chip in, or FSP, it is up to you. The chip in money helps us now, but the FSP is tax deductible, either way you choose, I can't thank you enough for giving to our future daughter.

For those of you who may not be familiar with Natasha's story, here is a little background.

Our sweet Natasha was listed on Reece's Rainbow as Xenia. The minute we saw her, we were smitten. She's stunning, just absolutely beautiful, and she deserved a family who knew how amazing she was, who thought she hung the moon...and she definitely found that in us! We are so blessed to call her our future daughter, and the boys big (and little!) sister. The boys are so excited to have her come home. Jack, our 2 year old, walks around with her picture, and says "Tasha kisses" and gives the picture a kiss. He can't wait to have a sister. Dylan, our 8 year old, who has the SAME BIRTHDAY as Natasha, has already informed us that Tasha will never, I repeat, NEVER find a boyfriend that is good enough for her, and he plans to run off every boy who wants to take her to the movies! LOL....in short...this little lady is loved!

But, her story isn't all warm and fuzzy like one would hope it was. The truth of the matter is, Natasha has medical concerns that go beyond, far beyond, a Down Syndrome diagnosis. She has a congenital heart defect, and I know many children with DS have heart issues, but the majority of them have surgery around their first birthday to correct these issues. Natasha will be 3 in March, and she has not had one surgery on her heart. She is described as passive, lethargic, she tires easily, she is in desperate need of medical intervention. She needs open heart surgery, she needs to come HOME.

We have done so much research, we have joined local DS awareness groups, support groups, we have gone to Nashville and met with the surgeon who will perform Natasha's surgery, we have met with the team at the Vanderbilt Children's Hospital  Down Syndrome Clinic and the International Adoption Clinic....we're ready. We've done the leg work, we've found the doctors who will get our girl up and going, who will essentially save her life. We just need to get her home so these amazingly talented specialists can do their magic.

That's why this matching donation is so incredible. To think that $2000 can miraculously become $4000 blows my mind. In my head I'm saying "that's our airfare to bring her home!" or "that's our final agency payment!" ....that amount of money completely ERASES one of the biggest costs associated with this adoption.

I would never ask someone to go without to help us. That is not what this is about. If you can afford it, if it's a decision between a Starbucks latte and giving $5, please consider donating.

Thank you so much to all the people who have reposted blogs, who've helped spread the word, who have loved this little girl for a long time, long before I ever knew she existed! Thank you from the bottom of my heart for advocating for our little girl. I can't express how much you all mean to me.

Much love,
Cilla