Angels on National Adoption Day
In recognition of National Adoption Day this week, I want to share the remarkable story of a family from Edwardsville, IL in my district. John and Lauri Cunningham, along with their children, were recently honored as Angels in Adoption in Washington, DC for the adoption of their two children. Thank you to the Cunningham’s and all of the families who open their hearts and homes to children in need.
Meet the Cunningham family:
The Cunningham’s relatives fostered a boy and girl for three years in Kentucky. The children had been neglected and abused by their birth parents. They realized they were unable to care for the children and planned to place them back with the state.
John, Lauri and their three birth children agreed to contact Kentucky to request that the children be brought to Illinois for adoption into their family. They became Cunningham’s later that year.
October 18, 2014, their oldest son Connor, had been in college nine short weeks when he was struck by a car and killed. He had an assignment only days before his accident that clearly spoke of the Cunningham’s adoption experience.
“Our two youngest siblings adoption was life changing. It called for a lot of integrity and played a role in my character development. It was challenging adding two new people into our tightly knit family. As the oldest of five, there are always young eyes looking to me for guidance. This opportunity taught me things I would not otherwise have known. Seeing the effects of neglect and abuse and the subsequent post-traumatic stress, caused by their past, has changed my life. The trauma they underwent caused regression; trust issues, and health issues. They brought me to a realization of how blessed my life has been and I love them.”
