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| Jacqui McNeill with daughter Emilia |
According to The People, Jacqui McNeill, 29 shared her side of story how she engaged in welfare work and adopted Orphan Born Without Arms and Legs Due to Rare Condition.
"You have to live a life of poverty and a life of celibacy for the church, People would come over and visit, and I would hold the babies the whole time or play with the kids. I would just cry when they left because it hurt so much to know that I was saying, 'I'm willing to not have kids in my life.'"
"I didn't understand how anybody could look at these kids and see anything but beauty, vulnerability and innocence, I would have brought them all back with me at 24 years old."
"I remember opening her information and saw 'limb deficiency, Then I saw it was all four limbs."
"The first time I saw a picture of her face, I just wept, I didn't know what her needs would be, but you go above and beyond and do what you have to do for your kid."
"They gave me a huge grant and helped make this possible, I am so grateful."
"When I picked her up, they told me, 'Good luck. She's a grumpy child. She never smiles."
"She doesn't do anything but smile, and she's had a lot to overcome."
"We all get together, celebrate the different Indian festivals and live out the culture."
"That loss, that pain, that suffering in a sense was a blessing for me. With this whole adoption journey, I've had the compassion in my heart and the knowledge of what ache is like for a mom, I didn't know what was missing until I got her. Now, life has beauty and purpose."
