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Filling A Special Need

Jorge knows he is special. Like any other four-year-old, Jorge loves 101 Dalmatians, his friends at school, and his big brother. He attends school in Elk Grove, laughs a lot and talks animatedly about his new baby niece. He is like any other preschooler.

The State of California, however, views Jorge as a "special needs" child. Jorge was born with a cleft lip and palate, asthma, amniotic banding, a club foot, and hydrocephalus. The energetic boy has had several surgeries to close his lip and palate and continues to wear a brace on his foot. His hydrocephalus is no longer evident, but he will go through more plastic surgery as he grows to correct damage on his hands from amniotic banding (scarring resulting from the fetus adhering to the wall of the uterus during development). He also attends speech therapy classes.

For Estrella Alizaga, Jorge is a "special needs" child for a very different reason; he has filled a very special need in her life. Estrella is the mother of a nineteen-year-old son, but wanted a second child and was not able to have one. Then three-and-a-half years ago. Jorge entered her life; and Estrella became his foster mother until she legally adopted him this January after a year-long adoption process.

When Estrella first contacted Lilliput after reading a newspaper ad, she thought she wanted to adopt a little girl three to six years old. After attending the Lilliput orientation and classes, she was contacted by a social worker who asked if she was interested in seeing a baby boy with special needs.

Estrella and her then 14-year-old son, Frank, traveled to Jorge's foster home for a weekend at Lilliput's expense. They immediately fell in love with the nine-month-old who was "like a newborn." He couldn't eat food, because his palate was still open, and needed to be fed formula from a special bottle. He couldn't even sit up, but he was very friendly. Estrella took Jorge to the park by herself, because she wasn't sure of her feelings and wondered, "Would he be comfortable with me?" She and Frank returned home on Sunday. By the following Tuesday, Estrella was on the telephone with the Lilliput social worker making arrangements to bring Jorge home for a four-day visit. They have been a forever family ever since.

Estrella and Jorge are just one example of the many wonderful families created through adoption. Jorge now has a loving mother who chose him and chose to make a commitment to him, as well as a big brother who thinks Jorge is terrific. Estrella has a warm, loving little boy who as brought a great deal of joy to her life. "(Adopting Jorge) is the best thing I have ever done in my life - next to my big son. My future is with him!"