Anne wanted children. She had...
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Anne wanted children. She had never been married, but she had enough space in her heart and her home. She traveled to the tiny Eastern European nation of Moldova, and there she found Irina. Ecstatic, Anne adopted Irina and brought her back to her home in the US. But there was something wrong. Although Irina was nearly two years old, she did not smile. She could barely even sit up. Irina had literally spent the first two years of her life in a crib, the product of an over-full, understaffed, poverty-stricken orphanage. She had spent every day lying on one side, staring through wooden bars at a bare wall. Irina was about as physically developed as a four-month-old. But Anne would not give up. With time, Irina learned to sit up, smile, run, and play. By kindergarten, Irina was almost hyperactive, trying to make up for the lost years of her young life. Irina may never be completely problem-free; she still has problems with her vision, motor skills, and behavior, but her joy in life is a blessing to Anne and all those around her.
