Three years ago, Alana’s* doctor wasn’t sure how long she had. Brain scans showed a tiny body experiencing pain and confusion. Based on those scans, doctors informed staff the little girl would struggle to feel or show emotion, and she may never walk. Doctors committed to checking in regularly about her progress, and staff prayed for a miracle and the strength to best care for her as she grew.
The staff, caregivers, and medical professionals who care for every child at a partnering children’s home offered the same level of care to Alana. She was assigned a specific caregiver, to help aid proper attachment, build connection, and provide someone who would know her routine and needs specifically. She was taking necessary medications, and she also attended therapies.
Doctors visited the home over the course of several months, and each time were surprised to see Alana doing well. The young girl, who previously wouldn’t make eye contact, was slowly narrowing in on subjects in front of her. She followed her caretaker with her eyes and made contact with visiting physicians and staff. Following a third brain map scan, her pediatric neurologist visited the home and stated Alana was a miracle. “I’ve been doing this for 20 years, and I have never seen this level of change,” the doctor told Ramon Balderrama, Back2Back staff. “Alana is a miracle.”
From that moment of declaration to now, we are celebrating another milestone just as important and life-changing: Alana has found her forever home! She was officially adopted by a local couple on December 11, 2020. Alana’s parents, Joan and Loren, have long invested in and visited the children’s home. When they first met Alana, Loren shared it as “love at first sight.” “I felt the Lord’s promises for Alana as I held her,” he shared. Over time, his wife, Joan, felt God calling her heart in the same direction, and they began the adoption process.
Before she officially left the home, Alana had broken medical expectations and boundaries. Now that she lives full-time with her adoptive parents, she has progressed even further developmentally. “She is full of smiles,” Joan and Loren shared. Her happy countenance prompted them to give her the middle name Joy. Joan, Loren, and the many Back2Back staff who know and love Alana have high hopes for her future and look forward with anticipation as the Lord’s plans for her unfold. Please join us in praise and prayer as we celebrate Alana being with safe, loving family forever, and that she grows both physically and emotionally into the young woman God carefully crafted her to be.