Luke

Luke is a miracle child. He brought a lot of firsts into our home; first special needs, first dependent child, first child who was unable to run and swallow and first kid who looked nothing like the rest of us. We met Luke when we switched from Orange County Adoptions to San Bernardino Adoptions and after our first visit with him we instantly fell in love. He was a tiny five-year-old, weighing only 25lbs and was not able to much of anything besides sit in the house and watch television all day. The scars along his chest, the feeding tube, the inability to truly communicate and the difference in color was easily passed by when looking into his eyes and seeing the need that we can provide for this child. After many visits Luke was able to come home with us and just a few short months later he officially became Luke Elijah Hasemeyer.
Like I said Luke was the first special needs child that came into our home. Not only was he declared mentally retarded, because of his many surgeries including open heart, he never learned how to swallow which meant he was fed through an eating tube. Because of this Luke was not getting the nutrients he needed and not growing. but after a couple short months in the Hasemeyer home Luke began to eat. His first food was cheetoes and soon it turned to corndogs, a meal he feel in love with. Once he was able to get these foods down he moved on to other delicacies and finally began to grow.
Today is in the 8th grade and it is amazing to think back at where he began and where he could be. Because of his disabilities and color Luke was considered unadoptable. He would have been stuck in a medically fragile home his whole life where nothing would have been expected of him, he would have never learned to eat or run or read or be a normal boy. Now he has that opportunity and it is amazing to see him grow and know that he is a Hasemeyer!