里奇·格林伯格和凯莉·格林伯格夫妇知道，他们和两个孩子一起在霍拉迪盖的房子里还有更大的空间, Zach and Samantha.
A physician who works in pediatric emergency medicine at Primary Children’s Hospital and also teaches at the University of Utah School of Medicine, Rich has seen his share of tough cases, 包括因家庭环境困难而被寄养的儿童. 对需要关爱家庭的孩子感同身受，并渴望把一个新的兄弟姐妹带到自己孩子的生活中, ages 7 and 9, 促使格林伯格夫妇通过犹他寄养基金会签约成为养父母.
The family never realized, however, just how life would change the day they met Marla Rae, a 1-year-old who stole their hearts from the moment they met her.
一年多前，马拉因一些健康问题被送往初级儿童医疗中心后，寄养人员联系了格林伯格夫妇. With Rich’s medical background, 社工认为这个家庭非常适合小马拉, who had been severely neglected by her biological family.
It didn’t take long for the Greenbergs to decide to bring Marla home. 但这个决定是在一系列具有挑战性的医疗条件下做出的，而且需要适应一个医学上脆弱的孩子的日常生活.
Marla had been classified as “failure to thrive,” meaning that she’d lost a significant amount of weight. Doctors had inserted a nasogastric or NG tube to feed the girl, 她不能自己吃饭因为她有口腔厌恶症.
格林伯格夫妇得知马拉早产，并在出生时接受了她的第一个胃管. She later transitioned to a bottle, 但她的亲生家人不知道如何照顾这个女孩的需求. Marla suffered from severe reflux and spit up constantly. 在她的亲生家人照顾下，当她补充了NG管时，她没有机会正常吃喝, 他们没有意识到他们每次在女孩吃东西的时候都把她的胃管拔出来，造成了创伤.
当马拉到达初级儿童医疗中心并被安置在寄养家庭时, she was terrified to let anyone touch her face, because of the trauma she'd previously suffered.
格林伯格夫妇并没有被他们新寄养女儿的挑战吓倒. 他们看到了一个改变小女孩生活的机会，于是把她带回家, 给她爱，起初对孩子来说似乎是一个陌生的概念.
“If you put your hand on her cheek, if you went to give her a kiss, if you did anything … she’d have a screaming fit,” Rich recalls. “她会挥着手，不让你靠近她的脸，因为她受到了创伤.”
The family noticed other worrisome behavior that pointed to neglect. When they put Marla in her crib for the night or to take a nap, as an 18-month-old, she didn’t protest.
“She didn’t play, she didn’t say a word. 她闭上眼睛，像一尊雕像一样静静地躺着，然后睡着了。. “Initially we thought, ‘Oh, what a great sleeper. And then we began to realize ‘this is not normal.’”
Day by day, Marla began to trust her new family. 在她接受髋关节手术和更换胃管时，格林伯格夫妇一直陪伴在她身边. 医生们还决定，马拉需要接受一种名为尼森底扩术的手术，来治疗胃食管反流病，这种病将胃包裹在食道周围.
手术很成功，格林伯格夫妇在马拉身上打了石膏后开始照顾她, which kept her stabilized from her chest to her ankles. After a month in the cast, 她戴了2到3个月的支架，很快就开始了身体锻炼, occupational and speech therapy.
Today, 从格林伯格夫妇第一次收养马拉到现在已经一年多了, but the girl is now a permanent part of their family. The opportunity to adopt Marla arose, and the family was thrilled to bring her into their family for good. The adoption was finalized this month.
这家人知道，一些外人听到他们的故事可能会奇怪，为什么他们要收养一个身体脆弱的孩子. The Greenbergs say they can’t imagine life without Marla.
“I know it sounds like ‘Oh my gosh, what a train wreck,’” says Rich, recounting the medical journey Marla has taken the family on. “ But she is the light of all our our lives. She is amazing. She is so much fun.”
“People tell us ‘What a lucky child. She went to the right family.’ But we feel like we’re the lucky ones. We’re so blessed to have her.’”
玛拉的家人承认，照顾玛拉将继续面临挑战. She can’t yet walk, but is cruising around furniture. She can say about 30 words, including “mom, dad, potty and hi.“她的大部分营养来自一个喂食泵，她每天要用大约15个小时，这种习惯可能还要持续几年。.
Still, 这家人庆祝玛拉在他们的照顾下取得的进步，并享受她正在成为的人.
“She loves to dance, she loves music. She loves water and her bathtub. She has the most amazing smile,” says Rich. “她从一个被忽视的孩子变成了另一个极端.”
Foster Families Needed
犹他州寄养基金会正在寻找家庭来照顾有特殊医疗需求的儿童. 该组织正在询问犹他州医学界的人士，包括 University of Utah Health Care employees – to consider lending a helping hand.
About 2,700 children in Utah are in foster care at any given time, including approximately 750 kids in Salt Lake County.
有各种医疗需求的儿童需要找到好的家庭. 这些需求可以简单到大发娱乐一个被诊断患有糖尿病的孩子调节他或她的饮食和监测胰岛素. Other cases include caring for children prone to seizures, 照顾那些有残疾的孩子，因为他们在婴儿时期被摇晃过，或者因为母亲吸毒而生下来就对毒品上瘾.
Statewide Facts: Children in Foster Care
- In Utah, most children are in foster care for about 12 months; though some children may stay in foster care for much longer. 孩子被寄养的时间长短取决于他们家庭的具体情况.
- 进入寄养家庭的儿童中，有40%回到亲生父母身边生活. 寄养家庭有机会指导和支持那些正在努力让孩子回到他们身边的父母.
- Many children are adopted from foster care. Last year (FY12), 525 children were adopted from foster care in Utah. 大多数被收养的孩子都是被养父母收养的.
- Children in foster care are between the ages of 0-19. 特别需要有能力并愿意照顾8岁以上儿童的家庭.
- 许多孩子和兄弟姐妹一起进入寄养家庭，需要能大发娱乐他们在一起的寄养家庭.
- Foster parents can be married or single. They can own or rent their homes. 要成为犹他州的养父母，需要接受32小时的培训，并有能力通过犯罪背景调查. 犹他州寄养基金会和儿童与家庭服务部为全州的寄养父母和养父母大发娱乐提供持续的培训.
For more information visit www.utahfostercare.org or call (877) 505-KIDS (5437).