Lee and Karen Shervheim had a full life raising five children, including their 11-year-old daughter, Annie, who has Down syndrome. Then they adopted two Ukrainian girls — Emie and Katie — who are the same age as Annie and also have an extra chromosome.
The couple began their adoption search in 2009 and learned that many parents in Eastern Europe abandon babies with disabilities. According to the Quad Community Press, many end up in orphanages as children before moving on to mental institutions as adults.
“Between my wife and I, we couldn’t get it out of our heads,” Lee said. “So many children need families and we knew we could potentially do something about it.”
The couple worked with an adoption grant foundation that facilitates adoptions for orphans with Down syndrome. They traveled to Ukraine for six weeks to finalize the adoptions and welcomed the girls into the family in 2008.
Although the family was excited about the adoptions, they encountered some hurdles, including as language barriers and abnormal childhood behaviors.
“The unvarnished truth is that bringing those two kids in our life, whether they had a disability or not, was really disruptive to our family,” Lee said. “They came with so many issues that we had not anticipated.” They received support from community programs, and a personal care assistant helps them several times a week.
The Shervheims are now working with an advocacy group called Partners in Policymaking, which teaches about the disability movement and how parents can advocate for people with disabilities in the state and federal governments. In the future, Lee hopes to serve on a panel, commission or council to discuss the value of people with disabilities and advocate for their needs.
Katie, Emie and Annie are members of the Special Olympics Minnesota White Bear Lake team. They compete in track and field bowling and basketball events, which Lee coaches. The proud father has high expectations for his daughters’ futures. He hopes they will develop active, healthy lifestyles, drive cars, live independently with proper support and even get married.
“I think my girls can do almost anything they want to do, and that’s what I want to help them become,” he said.
Emily Leayman is an intern at the Washington Examiner
