A couple whose daughter was born with the disorder have made the most incredible gesture for another little girl living with the condition – they adopted her.
Thom and Tami Wetmore are parents to Juliana, an 11-year-old who was born with Treacher Collins. While Juliana's brain is perfectly healthy, she is missing 40% of the bones in her face. Six years ago, they learned that Juliana wasn’t the only child to be born ‘without a face’.
News reached the Wetmores that a six-year-old girl named Danica was due to be turned out of a Ukrainian orphanage and forced to live on the streets because no one once visited or inquired about her. As it turned out, little Danica had also been born with Treacher Collins syndrome.
While Danica had spent six-and-a-half years in the orphanage, Thom and Tami were the very first visitors she had ever received. Moved by this little girl’s story, the Wetmores decided to make an amazing gesture of love: they adopted Danica and welcomed her into their own loving family.
That isn’t the end of this couple’s amazing story, however – they proceeded to adopt three more siblings who were in need of a home.
Sharing their story this week, proud dad Thom said: “It’s just amazing how your daughter that you look at as just a normal, everyday child that looks a little bit different has changed so many lives. Because you realise it’s okay to be who you are.”
