Priscilla's Story

Priscilla's Story



Just before we finalized Lindsay's adoption we received yet another call from the Lund Adoption Center. This call was in regards to a little girl who was not legally free, but who the agency thought would be a perfect match for us. We had not even considered adopting more than one child, but when we heard her story...we felt drawn to bring her into our family.



Priscilla's story begins far away in Santa Cruz, Boliva. She was born to a young mother and teenage father. She was born with the name Karina Flores on July 16, 1998. We had been told that Priscilla was born with the CMV virus which causes significant mental/physical disabilities. Shortly after birth the birth mother took her to an orphanage and she lived there until she was 18 months old. Priscilla is one of the lucky children. Most children in Bolivia are abandoned on streets and are hoped to be picked up by another more financially secure family, or sadly...left to die.



Priscilla was adopted into the US by a Vermont family. She was one of the LAST children to be adopted out of Bolivia before the country stopped adoptions with the United States. Priscilla was 18 months old and it was reported that it was feared that she would not live. She was limp and lethargic and had no muscle tone. She did not smile, cry or respond in any normal way. The US family brought her home to VT as they also did with 20 other children they adopted internationally. She was then placed in the arms of an older adopted sibling, Olivia. Olivia who was just 15, was given the responsibility to raise, teach and nurture this baby as her own. The adoptive parents were there for financial resources only. Olivia herself was adopted from China and was completely deaf. As a matter of fact almost all the children in the home were deaf or had some other form of disability. The primary means of communication in the home was ASL. It was determined that Priscilla herself was hearing impaired as well as being legally blind, had CP and was developmentally delayed.



Priscilla lived with this family on a horse ranch in Jericho, VT. The house was HUGE and was over 10,000 square foot however the children had access to only a large playroom (with inside playground.) It was here that all the children stayed unless it was time to eat or go to bed. The house was grand and it appeared that these children had anything they could possibly need, but did not have the Mother and Father figure they all desperately craved. The children were clean and well groomed and from the outside looking in it appeared that all the children were happy, well cared for and loved.

DCYF was called to the home in early October of 2003. A small child with a trach died in the home. The cause was asphixiation. The young child who was 3 had pulled out her trach during the night and the older sibling who cared for her was deaf and did not hear her struggling for air. An investigation as done and through that investigation is was discovered that this home was not as it appeared. All the children from the oldest down to about 9 were sexually abused by the adoptive father. That left just the 7 "babies" as they were known to have miraculously escaped. Many of the younger ones could not be interviewed since they had no language but it ws thought at the very least, they had witnessed things but had not been groomed and sexually assaulted.

Priscilla was 5 years old when I first met her at her home in Jericho. She was such a happy child! She could not talk except to count 1-2-3 and had a few other words such as "ut oh" "bubble" "my turn." She spoke VERY little and could not walk for more than a few feet before dropping to her knees. She was not toilet trained nor did she give any indication that she had to use the bathroom. She was SO cute...with long black hair that was neatly braided. She wore her beautiful little dress of the Mennonite attire with black stocking and black moccasin type shoes. The house despite having 21 children was very quiet. I was told that my husband could not come with me and only I was able to visit Priscilla (a name given to her by her adoptive mother.) The adoptive mother and father left the home and allowed DCYF to come in and take it over with hired staff until all the children could be safely placed. I had to go through an intense screening before I entered the main gates to the property. When it was determnined the reason for my visit I was allowed to go inside. I was immediately greeted by one of the many children running about the house. She was a little girl of Asian decent and she clung to me as if I were a life line. I was then directed to the person from DCYF who was in charge who in turn asked me if I was open to a "black child." I thought this to be an odd question and was almost disgusted by it. Priscilla is not exactly "black" but does have dark skin. She is of an Indian decent. I was pointed out to the tiny little girl who was to come home with me the next day and was immediately drawn to her. She was very affectionate. We played together for a long time and she stopped short and just burst into tears. I felt a lot of eyes on me at that point but I was very focused on this little girl. What made her so sad? How was I going to teach her to tell me things? I knew some sign language but she knew less than me and she was legally blind, so how would she see what I was trying to say? So many questions...left to answer.

I went home that evening reeling with excitement and worry. I called my husband to let him know what I had been doing and how it went. I explained my worries and he in turn thought that just like with Lindsay, this child needed us. We had one child at home who was so behaviorally challenging that I had no idea how we could possibly add this needy child to our family and give her the amount of time and attention she needed. What could we do that another family couldn't? That would soon be understood.

The next day I arrived in Jericho at the home at 8:30 in the AM. I was greeted by the sister who had loved/cared for Priscilla for the last 3 years. Through an interpreter, I was told all her favorite things and that she hoped that Priscilla would be loved. That just broke my heart. Priscilla was the first child to leave the home and although it was explained to the children what was happening it was still hard for some to understand. They all came from other countries and had counted on this family to be there for them and now it was dissolving quickly. Some of the children asked through an interpreter if I would please take care of their little sister. All of them had the opportunity to ask me questions and give Priscilla a hug before Olivia helped me load her into the car. I hugged Olivia and explicitly told her through her interpreter that I promised to love and take good care of her. It was very emotional.

Priscilla sat quietly for most of the 2 hour ride home. I had some kid songs playing which she seemed to enjoy however I didn't know how much she could hear. We were about to find out just what has been bottled up in this little girl.

We were in litigation for about a year and a half before Priscilla legally became our daughter. During that time she learned to walk, talk enough to be understood, and was toilet trained. She was attending public school full time for the first time in her life and was learning new things every day! Vocabulary was the biggest explosion. Our once quiet subdued little girl was now laughing, talking and able to ask for things she wanted. It was GREAT to see her come out of her shell. She wanted to do and try everything and then came the words, "I do it by myself!" We quickly learned she was a go getter! Nothing is going to stop this gal!

Today Priscilla is a wonderful sensitive, fun loving little girl who is polite and anxious to try new things. She just turned 12 and has come SO far in her 7 years with us. She can talk well enough to be understood by everyone, attends a main streamed classroom (with modifications for her visual and hearing impairments) and is loved by all who meet her. Her greatest passion in life is music. She plays a keyboard and knows about 100 songs that she plunks out by sound one finger at a time and recently got a violin. She safely walks the two blocks to her school from our home using a mobility cane and wants so much to be like other children her age. She still has cognitive delays which put her well below her peers, but this has not stopped her in finding a way to be like them and learn. It was said that Priscilla's abilities are reflective of the years with us. It was like at age 5 she was born. She functions at a 7 year old level in most area's but has splinter skills which are age appropriate. She is now learning braille and doing a fabulous job!!! No one would have ever guessed that the baby who was on deaths door coming to the USA is the same little girl who is now my daughter. God is certainly shining on her today!