Hi! I’m a single female, diagnosed with MS just over 5 years ago, but thankfully am very healthy and able at the moment. I’m pursuing adoption at the moment, but the MS is making things really difficult to get through the process. Does anyone have any experience of going through the adoption approval process with MS?
Thanks!
No. I’m guessing that the selectors (or whatever they’re called), may be concerned about the unknown quality of ms and how this will affect any potential baby/child. Although not specifically directed at adoption, there have been several threads in the past which have tried to discuss concerns that people with ms have in considering becoming parents, which you might or might not find interesting.
its one of those philosophical questions about the future really, none of us can see what’s going to happen, and you can’t pick and choose your children anyhow (I know there’s some exceptions), but generally you get what you get. Boy, girl, disabled, genius, fat, lazy, ugly, gorgeous, depressed, angry, superstar etc. But with adoption, some potential parents can get very picky for example, and I guess selectors will say they have a duty to safeguard any child up for adoption. You may be fit and active right now, but they or you can’t see how long for (forever I hope).
im sure none of this helps, I’m sorry if just waffling.
Thanks, but really just looking for people’s experiences. I am going through the adoption process - I have thought long and hard about everything you mentioned, so I literally just want to chat to anyone who may have gone through it.
hi helen
no parent knows whether their health will last until next week never mind until the baby is an adult.
point this out to the adoption people.
carole x
Hi I can honestly speak from my experience my husband & I adopted a girl 19 years ago. We went through the long process for adoption. When we started the process i knew I thought I may have M.S because I had researched it but didn’t have it diagnosed properly for many years after so I put it to the back of my mind.
i had had optic neuritis three & other sensory problems but was still working & continued to work for many years.i already had two sons & 1 step son so we wanted a little girl to complete our family.
We decided adoption was a good idea so we embarked on an exciting time by contacting various agencies & we were turned down by our local ones because we were 40 but were determined to achieve as we knew we could offer a good happy home to a little girl. Everything was going very well until the doctor acting for the adoption service was concerned with my medical records which hi lighted my optic neuritis. I really didn’t think that was going to be picked up.(naive of me)
i decided to meet the panel & tell them I was perfectly well had 3 other children and was a full time teacher, I had occasionally suffered with migraines. I really didn’t feel I had M.S as I felt ok, so I certainly felt M.S was not on the cards for me.( even though I had read about it I think it was denial) I went into the panel & managed to persuade them I was no different to anyone else. I told them any of us could come down with an illness anytime. I was very happy to receive a letter saying I was fit to adopt.That was a happy ending.
If you want to adopt please ensure you have all the details of the child & make sure you have full support from all agencies at all times especially when the child is a teenager. It is exciting & very challenging!