TORONTO — Rosy Garcia and Andres Sosa are proud parents of a five-year-old boy. But they tell Global News their family is not quite complete and are waiting for their nephew, four-year-old Jordan, who lives in Colombia.
Garcia and Sosa are in the midst of adopting the little boy who they describe as fun, loving and happy. But at just four years old, Jordan has already suffered a lot in his life.
Jordan has no father and the couple said his mother is a drug addict who is living on the streets of Colombia.
But that is just the start of Jordan’s problems.
He suffers from a rare form of epilepsy called Status Epilepticus, where the person can suffer from multiple seizures in one episode. They can last anywhere from five to 30 minutes long.
Jordan’s most recent episode, which was a month ago, lasted almost 40 minutes. He was hospitalized for over a week.
“It was so, so strong. They say maybe he could have been paralyzed on one side of his body, but we are lucky with him for now,” Garcia tells Global News.
“We need to have a lot of tests to see if it is chronic or to see what level of epilepsy it is.”
Status Epilepticus affects only a small portion of the population and of those who have it between 10 and 30 per cent die within 30 days of a major episode according to medical researchers in the U.S.
Garcia told Global News that although Jordan is receiving medical treatment in Colombia, it is limited and slow. She fears that if Jordan does not get proper medication and medical attention he could die.
Status Epilepticus runs in Garcia’s family. Two of her sisters suffer from it – one died in 2007 after having a massive epileptic seizure.
Garcia and Sosa are now trying to adopt Jordan so they can bring him to Canada and give him a better life, and proper healthcare.
Since Jordan was two years old he has lived in foster care, but their biggest concern is his health and what could happen if he suffers another massive episode.
“The doctors say everyday it can get more aggressive and the epilepsy can get more strong and damage his brain”, Garcia said.
In November 2014, Garcia and Sosa began the process to adopt Jordan. But due to some bureaucratic hiccups their case was put on hold for four months.
In Ontario, adoptions from outside of the country require the country to have a representative agency available in Canada to work as a middle man between the two countries.
Colombia does not have agency representation in Canada and as a result, Jordan’s adoption to Canada was put on hold.
However, according to the family’s lawyer, due to the urgency of Jordan’s case because of his illness an alternate agreement was made.
“This case ended up in this vacuum space of no licensed authority. I believe Colombia knowing this case asked Ontario to process the case using Ontario and the ministry as the agency dealing with Colombia,” said Michael Blugerman, executive director of the Children’s Resource and Consultation Centre of Ontario.
Blugerman added that things are looking good for Jordan and it is expected he could be in Canada by February or March.
He also said that once Jordan lands in Ontario, OHIP will pick up his medical costs so he can start treatment right away. Supporters have also started an online fundraising campaign to help cover his travel costs.
In the meantime, Garcia and Sosa told Global News they already have Jordan’s room ready for him, as they eagerly wait for the call to bring him to his new home.
“For me this is the most important thing because it is my family. My mother is very sick and very old, my sisters, they are lost — I don’t have any other family,” she said, fighting back tears.
“It’s very important for me to help my nephew because I think, like me, he can do something important and when I see my sister in the streets, I don’t want the same thing for my nephew.”
Sosa added,”This kid is a link to her past to something positive of her life, to untie us, to complete our family.”
Comments