[HopeAndTrust]

Help! Hello to anyone out there that can help me. Has anyone had experience with completing the adoption process in Ethiopia despite a history of cancer???

Although I've read through posts and have had countless conversations and email correspondence with people about international adoption in general, this is my first time posting here about my specific question. So please forgive me if I sound lost.

My husband and I feel lead to adopt from Ethiopia and have done so much research in what to expect. We have our home study agency and placing agency both in place, but have yet to actually become clients. This is due to the risk in involved with the possibility of a judge not approving an adoption for us after all the money is spent and we have invested so much emotionally.

The placing agency has done their footwork and "pre-approved" us and said that their lead person in Ethiopia said that although there is a risk of a judge looking at the home study (which I've been told they rarely do), that they could then ask for further information or could just flat out refuse the adoption. That scares the pants off of me! Our person at the placing agency has stressed that she would not accept us as a client if she felt the risk were great for failure, but repeats that there are no guarantees. I trust this agency- did my homework on them and feel comfortable with them. It's the Ethiopian government that posses a risk.

By the way, my husband's cancer was thyroid cancer just over a year ago- was treated (had surgery and radiation) and is completely clear now, has been all year. Thyroid cancer is highly treatable and rarely fatal. Although this is not a cancer to worry about in the US, I've been told that the word "cancer" in Ethiopia (and other countries) can be enough to have the judge stop reading right then and there.

So I guess what I'm really looking for, is if anyone has any stories where they actually completed an adoption from Ethiopia even if they had health issues (cancer specifically) or if they had a failed adoption due to health either? I know, I know, I know that each case is individual and that there are no guarantees, but it sure would be helpful to hear of anyone that has had an experience with this good or bad. Thank you so much! I hope there is someone out there that can help me. Sorry for the LONG post.

[Sohmakun]

You need to ask the agency that your interested in working with this question. Many times the "rules" in Ethiopia are actually agency/orphanage rules and not Ethiopian ones.

Generally speaking, most agencies like to see applicants cancer - free for about 1-2 years before applying

[HopeAndTrust]

Thanks for the reply. The agency that I will work with if we do this says that it seems like it will be okay, but that the risks are still there. I know that there is no such thing as an adoption without risk, but since this is out of the usual realm with my husband having had the cancer and being clean for a year, we are quite hesitant. My heart is lead to Ethiopia. I feel that God wants us to adopt there, but we are scared of the risk of a judge saying "no" even after the agency thinks it is a reasonable risk to take. Thanks again!

[Sohmakun]

If thats the case then work with an agency that won't penalize your for swiching countries if things don't work out. Most agencies will allow you to choose a different country that they work in without paying extra money.

You can also ask if they have had any other adoptive parents in the same situation and what the outcome of their adoption was like

[HopeAndTrust]

I think this agency would allow us to switch, but they only do Ethiopia and Kazakhstan, which is a lot more money, plus we would be out the travel fees already.

I have been in contact with one other parent that had medical issues (not thyroid cancer) using this agency and she is helping me a lot. The agency told me that there were others that had been cancer survivors and that they completed succesful adoptions. I will take your advice and contact them on that asking how many and for their info. Thanks for that idea!

[Quesita]

First of all, congratulations on your husband's successful treatment. Oddly, I have two friends and one acquaintance who have faced thyroid cancer in the past few years, and all have been successfully treated,

Each agency has different requirements and each country has its own quirks. I have not adopted from Ethiopia (I'm considering it for the future) but when I completed my adoption from Guatemala I had to do an extensive physical prior to my homestudy, and for the purposes of approval from the agency. Then, my paperwork for my Guatemalan dossier included something signed and notorized by my doctor stating that I was in "good health" and that I had tested negative for TB, AIDS and syphilis. I suspect that if I had had thyroid cancer in the past, the agency would have taken that into consideration, and once they realized that it is in fact completely "curable" it probably would not have been mentioned in my dossier paperwork if the doctor was willing to state that I was in fact in "good health."

Perhaps someone who has completed an Ethiopian dossier can speak more about the specific Ethiopian requirements.

I would suggest that you ask your agency if the cancer history is actually included in the dossier. Also, you might want to investigate a few different agencies, always being clear about your husband's history and treatment, and let them tell you if they think it is a problem, or if it is actually included in the paperwork that is submitted to Ethiopia.

It sounds like they think it will be buried somewhere deep in the homestudy, (not the health related documents that are part of your dossier) and that judges rarely read homestudies. Just to be safe, you would want to make sure that the wording in the homestudy is very carefully presented, perhaps including quotes from your doctor or even team of doctors.

Good luck to you and your family.