Biological Sisters From Bulgaria Join Mom One at a Time to Create This Happy Family
By Deb Amend
It all started when she hosted an international exchange student and it came time for the final goodbye. It was then that Gretchen Vaughn, RN, MSN, CPON, an employee of Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, realized that she did not want to be someone's temporary mother; she was ready to be someone's forever mother. Through a co-worker who had adopted from Bulgaria and two medical missions trips to Ukraine, Gretchen soon decided to look for her children in Eastern Europe.
She began to research agencies, and settled on All God's Children International Adoption Agency with the intent to adopt from Romania. It was when her paperwork was with the Romanian government, with her name at about number 15 on the waiting list, that she got the news that Romania was closing adoptions.
"It was so confusing... I had thought that Romania was the right country for me, but I didn't know if I should wait and see if they would open back up or what I should do," says Gretchen. "But the answer came soon."
On September 25, 2001, All God's Children called her and sent a picture and video of a little girl in Silven, Bulgaria.
"As soon as I saw the picture, I knew that she was my daughter."
Six weeks later all of the paperwork had been reworked and Gretchen travelled to Bulgaria to meet this little girl, whose name was changed by Gretchen to Katerina. After six months of Bulgarian red tape, Katerina arrived home May 30, 2002.
Wanting two daughters, Gretchen began the process again on November 6, 2003 — the anniversary of meeting Katerina. This time, as Bulgaria was closed to international adoptions, she began the process to adopt from Guatemala. As her paperwork sat with the Guatemalan government, Bulgaria reopened. After some time of thought and prayer she pulled the paperwork from the Guatemalan Embassy, revised it, and submitted it to the Bulgarian government.
"I stated in my paperwork that whatever child I brought home would be my daughter, but that I had one request. If Katerina's birth mother had another child, if the child was a girl between the ages of 2 and 3 and was available for adoption, then I would like to adopt her."
On June 1, 2005 Gretchen received a phone call that astounded her — Katerina did indeed have an almost 3-year-old sister who was available for adoption! Before long Katerina and Gretchen flew to Silven, Bulgaria where they not only had a joyful reunion with Katerina's caregivers, but also met the newest Vaughn, Lilyanna.
They were accompanied to Bulgaria by Barbee Sjödahl, International Adoption Center (IAC) pre-adoption administrative assistant and Gretchen's neighbor and friend. The trip allowed Barbee to provide moral support to a good friend and visit a foreign orphanage, something she had wanted to do since she began working at the IAC. She knew that the trip would give her even greater insight for helping families that are adopting.
"It was an exceptional experience. At first Lilyanna was frightened of us... But little by little she warmed up to us. On the last day we were at the orphanage, we even got her to giggle for the first time," says Barbee.
Approximately three months later Lilyanna and Gretchen arrived home in Cincinnati.
Throughout both adoptions the IAC was a valuable resource for Gretchen. During the adoption process, Mary Allen Staat, MD, MPH, helped her assess videos and think about each girl as she prepared for them. Although both girls are extremely healthy, the IAC helped Gretchen be certain that there were no medical problems that might have slipped through the cracks.
Gretchen says the most helpful thing were the classes offered by the IAC for people interested in adoption. "Taking those classes helped me feel prepared for the decisions that were ahead of me. "
Although not always easy, Gretchen's life has been truly enriched by her girls. Watching her girls grow into two very unique individuals has broadened her horizon and brought her much joy. Adoption has been such a blessing to her that she eagerly encourages others who are considering it.
"Anyone who is considering it or just feels led toward adoption should just go for it. It is a win-win situation."
