Yes, There are Heroes

The Idaho Statesman has the heart- breaking story of Widna and Victor Stankewsky, a Boise Couple who want to adopt two children from Russia.

The Statesman did a story previously on this same couple back in September. Here’s some of the sacrifices they’ve gone through to get into this position:

Stankewsky and her husband, Victor, want to adopt two children with special needs from Irkutsk, Siberia, a place well-known for its freezing temperatures. It will cost a lot to adopt two more Russian children — they adopted two from the same place seven years ago — and take care of their developmental and psychological disorders. The adoption transaction alone will cost about $45,000, Stankewsky said.

To raise the needed funds, the couple sold their 3,600-square-foot house in Boise, moved to a smaller home off Vista Avenue, and is now selling a dining room set, Russian collectibles and Ukrainian art they had been saving…

“I’m selling all of my clothes. My whole closet is going,” Stankewsky said. “When you get down to it, I don’t need this stuff.

“You just need to go back to what you absolutely need to survive. And that is what this family is doing.”

What’s holding this up is the 2002 killing of a Russian child who’d been adopted out internationally. The adoptive mother was sentenced to 25 years:

“I think the Russians have lost faith in us,” Victor Stankewsky said. “I think they’re trying to protect their kids and themselves, and I can understand that. But I also think the outcome of this case shows the U.S. is not playing favorites or holding back. They’re prosecuting people who commit these crimes to the full impact of the law. I hope this gives the Russian authorities a bit of trust so we can get over there and get our other two kids.”

Now the two kids they’re going to get aren’t “perfect.” Far from it, accoridng to the story:

The couple adopted their first two Russian children from an orphanage for children who are mentally impaired or physically disabled. They were working with the same orphanage to try to adopt the second two — a 6-year-old boy named Stanislav and a girl named Valeria, who is 4. They knew from the beginning that both may have disabilities, but were surprised to learn recently that Stanislav has the AIDS virus.

The Stankewskys met Stanislav and Valeria at the orphanage, in the Siberian city of Irkutsk, in 2004.

“If they only knew that we love them and want to come back for them,” Widna said. “They aren’t allowed to know because so many orphans end up being disappointed. They don’t know that we have a candle burning for them.”

The Stankewskys want to adopt as many of the orphanage’s children as they can.

“Once you’ve been there and seen them, you’re never the same again,” Widna said. “You’ll never say you’re going to buy a Corvette or go on a cruise. You may deserve those things, but you know you can’t have them because you could use the money to bring more kids over.”

These people have made some incredible sacrifices, and have incredible heart and love for these children. In a materialistic world, they’ve gone ahead and chosen the things that matter most. Wow! What a challenge. The world could use a lot more Widna and Victor Stankewskys.

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