BABY HANNAH’S STORY
Written September 2014 Hannah was born January 2014 with serious neurological problems that could result in paralysis, developmental delays or other lifelong issues. Her birth family knew they simply didn’t have the resources to manage Hannah’s care, so they turned to The Cradle for help. Hannah needed a special family who could see beyond the […]
BABY MARSHALL’S STORY
Published September 2014 Marshall was born on Christmas Day in 2013. He experienced a prenatal brain injury, and spent three months in The Cradle Nursery while counselors worked to find him the right family. Despite his tough start, Marshall was very sweet-natured. He took his bottle feedings well, made good eye contact and began to smile. He was […]
LIGHTNING IN A BOTTLE: THE MCGUIRE FAMILY’S ADOPTION JOURNEY
On their very first date in 1999, Christopher and Michael McGuire discussed how much both of them wanted a family. A couple years after their commitment ceremony in 2005, they decided the time was right to begin building their family. Because they had friends who had adopted through The Cradle, they were immediately drawn to […]
TESSA AND SOPHIE’S STORY
In 2005, a seemingly healthy newborn baby girl arrived in The Cradle nursery. Unfortunately, her clean bill of health was far from reality. “When Tessa went for her first well baby check-up a day or two of coming to the Nursery, the doctor noticed something was wrong with her eye,” says Victoria Brooks, Nursery Director. A […]
THE HOWARD FAMILY SHARES THEIR EXPERIENCE
Written February 2012 A diverse group of thirteen prospective adoptive families attended The Cradle’s Sayers Center Information Meeting at Victory Apostolic Church in Matteson on February 4. Cradle parents Ashanti and Edward Howard, who are members of the church, volunteered to speak at the meeting about adopting their daughter Katelyn. “We talked about going through […]
EVERYTHING WORKS ITSELF OUT: LISA AND JOHN’S STORY
Written September 2015 As she walked to chemistry class, Lisa summoned the courage to call her mom on her cell phone. An 18-year-old freshman at Augustana College in 2005, Lisa had recently discovered she was pregnant. She and her then boyfriend, John, discussed adoption as a potential option for their baby. Lisa explained the situation […]
