A little over a year ago, 8-year-old Dominique was adopted by Ms. Debra. Dominique came to Apelah Specialized Foster Care at the age of 3 and was bedridden, had severe brain damage, and was unable to talk or walk due to shaken baby syndrome that occurred when he was only two years old. Dominique was receiving hospice services and, when he was placed with Ms. Debra, she was told to keep him comfortable until he died. Ms. Debra, however, was determined to get him out of the bed and give him a much longer life expectancy. About four months after being placed with Ms. Debra, Dominique began talking and crawling. Eventually, he started walking with the assistance of a walker. Today, Dominique is in school, can walk without assistance, and has a vocabulary bigger than other children his age. His now-mom Ms. Debra tells people that with a lot of prayer and good therapy services, Dominique is now a normal child. The only signs that Dominique has of his past medical issues are a small limp and slurring when he speaks. 

Ms. Debra gave Dominique the gifts of life and love, and you can do the same by donating to our Fostering Holiday Joy campaign! Your donation will help buy Christmas gifts for the 50 children and youth currently served by Apelah. Many of these children came to us with nothing but the clothes on their backs and their belongings in a garbage bag. They deserve so much more, and you can help give them something special to show them that somebody loves them, the way Ms. Debra did for Dominique.