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THE BUSHEY'S STORY

A Lund Family Center Post Adoption worker currently provides Post Adoption Case Management to the Bushey’s, an adoptive family in rural Vermont. The family is headed by a widowed single mother. She has a grown biological daughter from that marriage. She has since adopted five children who are all biological siblings. The children range in age from young children to teenagers.

The children were removed from their biological home based on extreme, unimaginable neglect. The neglect resulted in high lead levels, "hoof and mouth" disease, developmental delays, and a myriad of mental health issues. Investigators observed the children picking through rancid food lying next to garbage and dog feces strewn across the floor. The children were often left to fend for themselves. On several occasions, social workers arrived at the home to discover the children playing with knives, nail polish remover, and modeling cement. The children often referred to their "pet worms," which were actually maggots in their bathtub.

Like most moms, this adoptive mother works 24-7 to meet the needs of her children. This includes all of the things we expect of a mother (providing food, shelter, and love) and more (transportation to therapy and medical/psychological assessments, dispensing daily medication and meeting with a myriad of service providers). Her commitment to these children is a true demonstration of motherly love and the power of family.

The family's financial resources are very limited as a result of the demand on this mother's time and the special needs of the children. Although service providers, including Lund workers, have accessed some supports, the family still struggles to provide anything beyond the necessities...and sometimes struggles to provide that. Three of the children share one small room. Additionally, the house and property is in poor condition.

These children spent their most formative years without the care, love, and home every child deserves. This mother gave of herself more than most by adopting these children, enabling them to remain a sibling group rather than being split up. This family deserves to experience what it feels like to be more than just getting by.

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