If you had a national television outlet, how would you advocate for adoption? Dr. Jennifer Arnold and Bill Klein use their show The Little Couple to share their own personal adoption story as well as sharing with our society the joys and hardships of adoption.
Jennifer and Bill both have skeletal dysplasia, or dwarfism. Not only do they share their own personal medical needs and events, they share with the audience the adoption process of their two children, Will and Zoey, who both also have dwarfism.
They do not sugarcoat the adoption process. The many setbacks experienced in their adoption journey are revealed. On their show, viewers were allowed to witness the touching moment when they met Will for the first time. Then they were let in on all the medical appointments and procedures that Will required, as well as surgery for ear tubes and to remove his adenoids.
With their second adoption of Zoey just months later, Jennifer became ill on their trip to pick up Zoey and learned out she had a rare form of cancer. So while Jennifer was focusing on her health and receiving chemo, she also had to try to bond with Zoey and adjust to being a mother of two. They shared that attachment was difficult with Zoey because of her having little contact with people in the orphanage. According to a news article, they shared that “she really wanted nothing to do with us.”
But now, years later, Jennifer and Bill shared with People that they are loving seeing Will and Zoey grow, thrive, and be happy. Bill stated, “after everything we have been through, it’s a very exciting time.” They recently moved from Texas to Florida for Jennifer to take the position of Medical Director of the Children’s Hospital Simulation Center at Johns Hopkins. Will and Zoey are thriving at school and their personalities and interests are really starting to expand.
Not only sharing their personal adoption story with their audience, the Little Couple also continues to support the adoption community. They recently attended an adoption gala in Washington DC to show their support.
Their story is a wonderful story of triumph over hardship and how to handle setbacks with grace.
