In this new blog series, we’re checking in with several of our past Fotolanthropy recipients to find out what’s new!
In the Fotolanthropy Film “Unexpected Joy”, The Dallas Fotolanthropy Team documented the story of Paul and Becky’s son, Titus. Already having four sons, Becky’s pregnancy seemed no different, But soon after Titus was born the doctor’s reports began to grow. Titus was born with micronagthia (recessed chin) that blocked his breathing, cleft palate, profound deafness, blindness, Dandy-Walker variant, ASD/VSD, hemi-vertebrae in the spine, horseshoe shaped kidney, and the list continues. He had 8 surgeries in 14 months and spent 115 days in the NICU or PICU.
But the Daily’s count all of it their biggest blessings. The detailed daily routines, the in-home nurses, the planned – and unexpected – trips to the hospital; through it all the Daily’s have found so much joy.
The Daily’s recently completed their third adoption – a 6-year-old boy from China named Grayson – born without arms. Grayson just celebrated his birthday on Monday! Fotolanthropy caught up with Paul Daily to hear more about this exciting news and to find out what Titus and the rest of the Daily family have been up to.
From Paul . . .
In March 2014, Becky and I were reading Dillon International’s monthly newsletter. Dillon was the adoption agency we used when adopting Tucker and Cade from South Korea. In the March issue, they highlighted four little boys in China that needed a family. The article described one 4 year old boy who was healthy and happy, but had been born with no arms. Becky and I prayed and discussed, and knew this little boy would be our son. It was crazy to think of adding a 6th son to our family in this time of our life, but as we have learned, when God calls, it’s best to obey. And when God calls, God provides in miraculous ways. The next year was filled with paperwork, homestudy updates, fingerprint appointments, and all the required government paperwork and visas.
On April 13, 2015, we walked into a room in Guangzhou, China and met our son for the first time. We spent 10 days with him in China before bringing him home to meet the rest of the family. Grayson Elliott is a delightful 5 year old who is incredibly talented with his feet. He feeds himself, bathes himself, and can put his clothes on. He loves to sing, pack things away in his backpack, read books, and snuggle. During the first week home, he wasn’t too sure about five brothers who just wanted to play with him, but slowly, he began to warm up to each one. Today, he jumps on the trampoline with them, chases them around the house, and loves to play with them. He is especially tender with Titus and will take his foot and gently stroke Titus’ arm or face. His English comprehension is much better than our Cantonese comprehension, but he is picking up words and phrases and we see progress each day.
While he has still gone through periods of grief over the last few weeks, after it passes, his happy nature returns. There is a lot of time and training to make up for, but we are thankful he was in an orphanage that was well-run, clean, and he had a nanny who loved him and taught him how to care for himself with his own two feet.
Is it crazy with 6 boys – yes! It is loud – yes! Are we blessed beyond measure – yes! Are we a little tired – yes, but it’s a good tired.
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