Remember the Boy who Weighed 3 kg at Age 7? Here’s what happened to him after ADOPTION
At just seven years old, this boy weighed only 3 kilograms. Doctors warned that he might not survive due to his severe health issues. However, a loving couple adopted him, and what followed was nothing short of a miracle. After Priscilla Morris married her husband David, they raised three wonderful children: two biological sons and a Russian girl they had adopted. Despite their adoptive daughter being born with a heart condition and Down syndrome, they devoted themselves to addressing her medical needs and providing her with the best care. Over time, she improved and flourished in their loving family.
Just when Priscilla and her husband thought their family was complete and they were done with adoption, a photo of a young boy deeply touched Priscilla’s heart. In June 2014, while browsing her Facebook feed, Priscilla came across a post from an adoption organization. The post featured a starving 6-year-old boy from Bulgaria who appeared frail and malnourished. It was evident that he wouldn’t survive much longer unless a family stepped forward to adopt him. As soon as she saw him, she couldn’t get him out of her mind. She immediately knew that this boy was meant to be her son.
“I don’t know how to describe it, but you look at them and you just know,” she said.
However, she couldn’t understand how a boy his age could be so emaciated. She decided to learn more about his story, and what she found out broke her heart. The boy had endured a difficult childhood, spending most of his early years in various hospitals because of his critical condition and appearance. No one wanted to adopt him. At that moment, Priscilla knew she had to do something to get him out of the orphanage and give him a better life. She realized that she was the only one willing to bring him into her family. However, she wasn’t sure how to tell her husband about it. Why? Because she and her husband had previously agreed that if they were to adopt foster kids again, it would be from countries where people rarely adopt.
“We had decided long ago that if we were going to adopt, it would be from countries where no one else was coming for the kids, where children in third-world countries were locked away in orphanages,” she said.
Unsure of how to approach her husband about this Bulgarian boy, she decided to show him the boy’s picture. What happened next surprised her. She was stunned by her husband’s reaction when he saw the photo. Amazingly, her husband was open to accepting the little boy into their home. After reading the boy’s story, David was moved by his situation and thought that since they had enough resources to care for him, it would be a good decision to help.
In September 2014, Priscilla and her husband began the adoption process for the boy, whom they later named Ryan. Finally, in November 2015, they completed all the necessary paperwork to bring Ryan to the United States. They traveled to Bulgaria to meet their soon-to-be adoptive son. At that point, the fragile boy was 7 years old and weighed only 8 pounds. Can you believe that?
When the couple arrived at the orphanage, they were taken aback by the number of children in need of attention. However, when Priscilla saw Ryan, she couldn’t believe how tiny he was for his age and doubted whether he would survive.
“He was barely alive,”
Priscilla recalled, describing the first time she saw Ryan in person. It was a frightening experience. When the nurses handed him to her, she initially thought they had given her the wrong child because of his frail condition. Ryan had barely been fed at the orphanage and had developed a habit of regurgitating his food, unsure if there would be enough to eat again. His malnourished body was covered in hair, a sign of his severe starvation. Despite the harsh circumstances he endured, he had taught himself to vomit just to survive.
Over time, however, Priscilla and her husband formed a strong bond with Ryan.
“By the second or third visit, we were swinging him around and tickling him. For as tiny as he was, he wasn’t as fragile as I initially thought. He enjoyed the interaction,”
she explained.
Eventually, Priscilla and her husband brought Ryan back to the United States and immediately took him to Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital, where a team of doctors was waiting. Upon seeing Ryan, the doctors were moved to tears, shocked that Priscilla and her husband had adopted a child whose chances of survival seemed so slim.
“I had never in my life seen doctors look at a child and burst into tears. They even called social services and said, ‘I’m sorry, but he’s probably going to die,'”
she recalled.
Despite all the health challenges he faced, Ryan’s adoptive parents refused to give up on him. Thankfully, doctors were able to fit him with a feeding tube directly into his intestines, helping him receive the nutrients he had long been deprived of. In the next 13 months he spent in the hospital, Ryan miraculously grew stronger and gained about 15 pounds. Yes, you’ve heard that right. The medical team was amazed by his recovery and then addressed his other health conditions through surgical procedures. They repaired his club feet and treated his scoliosis with spinal rod placement.
Every day, Ryan’s progress was remarkable, and he continued to grow stronger. His speech and communication skills improved significantly, and he began using his hands and feet more effectively. Ryan was also enrolled in a public school as a third grader, where he worked towards the goals his medical team had set for him. Although his recovery was difficult, Priscilla revealed that both his therapists and doctors were optimistic that with time, he would continue to improve and hopefully reach his full potential.
Astonishingly, Ryan surpassed everyone’s expectations. In May 2020, the adorable boy celebrated his 12th birthday with his foster family. Photos from the celebration were shared on the Facebook page “Saving Baby Ryan,” which was created to document his journey. In the pictures, he looked completely transformed from the boy he was just a few years earlier. His change was truly remarkable. Isn’t that incredible? I’m so happy for him and the positive turn his life has taken.
Priscilla shared that Ryan is now thriving with his family, defying all expectations. He has formed strong bonds with his siblings and is surrounded by the love and care he truly deserves. She hopes that by sharing his story on Facebook, more people will be inspired to adopt children like Ryan who deserve to be loved and cared for.
“People write off special needs kids because it looks scary, but these kids are worth it. They deserve to be loved just like any other child,”
she said.
“I hope Ryan’s story encourages others to realize that every child deserves a chance to live with a family. With the right family, anything is possible. Special needs kids aren’t just special because of their health issues; they’re special in every way you can imagine,”
she added.
After adopting Ryan, it was no surprise that Priscilla and her husband went on to adopt another child with special needs: a girl named Gigi from Ukraine. They also welcomed another biological son, Will. Thanks to the love and dedication Ryan received from his adopted parents, he was given the opportunity to live a happy life and look forward to a brighter future.
