New home for the holidays: 'Their possibilities are endless'
EUGENE, Ore. -- A married couple received the two best Christmas gifts of their lives this December as they now get to spend the holidays meeting their two adopted daughters from Russia.
After a long wait, Jennifer and Brandon Willis welcomed two Russian orphans into their home as a part of an international adoption.
"We set out almost exactly a year ago today to start our adoption process and we were led to these 2 girls in Russia,” said Jennifer.
The girls, 6-year-old Dasha and Emily, nearly 2, both have Down syndrome.
Jennifer Willis said that in other parts of the world, some orphans with developmental disorders are put into institutions where they spend their lives.
“I just cant imagine these girls spending their lives in a mental institution, they have so much potential,” said Jennifer.
“Dasha remembered who we were once we started playing and she got the same toys out we started playing with the last time,” said the new father, Brandon Willis.
“Their possibilities are endless … whatever we have to do to facilitate that along the way is what we've signed up for. We're excited about it,” said Brandon.
The couple said that they know all children come with complications. While some have special needs, all of them need love.
“As a society more and more we're understanding that down syndrome isn't a disability as much as it is just another way they're built,” Brandon said.
Mom and dad are starting to learn Russian.
“We didn't speak any before. Sometimes it think our accent must be terrible, because she (Dasha) looks at us like we're crazy. Either that or she's just ignoring us,” said Brandon.
The Willis family said they would like to thank the Emerald Valley Down Syndrome Network for their love and support throughout the adoption process.
Beautiful girls. I'm so glad that you have such an upbeat attitude, and I hope that you never lose it. Merry Christmas to the whole Willis family.
Congratulations on your beautiful family! Happy Holidays!
Oh give me a break. It's fantastic they've adopted children and are happy with their completed family, but saying that Down Syndrome is just being built differently is pure nonsense. It's a serious chromosomal abnormality. 99.8% of them have mental retardation which is, in fact, a disability.Â
 @PleaseBeSmart So what do you suggest, put them in the institution in Russia they were most likely headed for?
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So they may have other problems. How many of us can say we don't have some kind of inherited problem / defect? I can't, can you?
 @Sparky62 I don't know what you think you're getting at, but I wasn't suggesting anything. I was pointing out the obvious... that mental retardation is a disability.Â
@PleaseBeSmart @Sparky62 It was the "Oh give me a break part".
What a beautiful and amazing gift of love that the Willis family is providing these two lovely girls. Â I wish them a lifetime of joy!!! Â