Thirteen-year-old ZiYe (Zee-Yaw) will age out of the Chinese foster care system early next month when she turns 14. This means she will no longer be adoptable. Heartbreaking news for ZiYe and for David and Hellen Ream of Edmonton, Canada, who are trying to adopt ZiYe and bring her home from China.
Having gone through the preliminary adoption steps leading to approval last November, the couple still needs $27,000 and help expediting the adoption. Not only will ZiYe age out of the system in a few weeks, if she is not adoptable she may never get surgery for nanophthalmos, a congenital eye disorder which will take her sight.
The Reams have completed all that is required of them and the agencies involved are now trying to speed up the process.
Having raised three biological children, the Reams are also the parents of an adopted five-year old. They didn’t plan on adopting any more children, but when Hellen came across ZiYe’s pictures she was smitten. She knew this was her child. They haven’t yet met, and the Reams aren’t even sure that ZiYe knows they are trying to adopt her. The agency said that ZiYe, who has lived in the orphanage since she was dropped off at the age of three months, wants to be adopted by a foreign family.
The complete story may be read at the Edmonton Journal.
