A couple from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada has adopted a 14-year old Chinese girl, who has a congenital eye condition, in a bid to give her a better life.

ZiYe (Zee-Yaw), an orphan, will join her new parents David and Hellen Ream, and their five-year-old adopted daughter ChenMin (Shun-Meen) when they return to Edmonton later this month.

Like Us on Facebook

The couple saw ZiYe's story on an American adoption website, where the teen said she wanted to be adopted by a foreign family.  The Reams knew at that point, they wanted to be her new family.

The Reams rushed to China and proceeded with the adoption the quickest way possible.  The adoption process had to be completed before ZiYe's 14th birthday, the maximum age in China that a child can be adopted.

The couple's fellow church members, who knew of their plans to adopt ZiYe, helped the Reams raise upto $30,000 to cover part for the adoption cost pegged at $43,000.

David and Hellen Ream have been translating online documents to earn a living.  They have three children of their own, currently studying at a university in Edmonton and are waiting back home.

ZiYe, meanwhile, was told that she will be adopted only a week before her new parents arrived.

"She was told by the people at the orphanage and from what we could gather she was filled with excitement and fear at the same time," David Ream said.

Mr. Ream said they have been using their time together in China to get to know each other well.  

"When we got her she was painfully shy, but still very polite. She still is very shy, but is now much more at home with us, as we are with her. She smiles spontaneously now and is really sweet."

ZiYe has a congenital eye problem, which if not treated may lead to permanent blindness. 

The couple had set up an eye appointment for her on March 17th at the University Hospital's pediatric ophthalmology clinic in Edmonton.  ZiYe can slightly see, but uses braille to read and write.

 "She is very smart and told us math is her favorite subject," David shared.

While language barrier stood as their biggest challenge, translators, phone apps and even hand gestures have greatly helped bridge the gap.

The Ream family is scheduled to return to Canada on February 24th, as they wait for ZiYe's travel documents to be completed.

The teen meanwhile visited the orphanage for the last time to celebrate Chinese New Year and say goodbye to her friends.

TagsAdoption