I feel like we just made a big breakthrough.

CaptainSerious · January 2010

As some of you know, my husband and I have been frustrated with the turn-around time it takes to get a file, review it, have it translated, and get a medical review. Well, things are looking up.

I brought our frustration to the attention of my social worker, who mentioned it to our lawyer in Peru. As part of his trying to make things easier, he's now automatically translating the most recent file brief on all the files we request. This should provide us with a quick overview of the most important parts of the file. He's also offered to make himself available for a phone conference after we review the files, to help answer any questions we still have and help us decide if we need any further translations. Not only will this save us time, but money, too!

Then Sunday, my husband had a brainstorm: if we could find an adoption doctor fluent in Spanish, we wouldn't have to worry about waiting for the translations before getting the medical review. We searched for one today, and I found the most amazing doctor! He's Colombian by birth, so is completely fluent in Spanish, and is both a practicing pediatrician and adoption specialist. I spoke with him this evening, and he seemed to be the most caring man, who really just wants to make this process as easy as possible for us. He charges less than many of the other doctors we've dealt with, and his fee will also cover him preparing us with information about basic care (this is our first child, so things like nutritional guidelines, etc.), any medical needs or prescriptions (e.g., inhaler, skin creams, etc.) our child might need while we travel, and being on call while we are in-country. In addition, no matter how many files we need reviewed, it's all covered under the one fee. This is a huge difference from any of the other doctors we've contacted.

I am elated! I feel like I just met the man who's going to make our dream a reality. He was so uplifting and understanding, congratulated me multiple times, and really seems like he just wants to help. Since he also has a thriving practice, he's making himself available on his lunchtime and after hours to hold what he expects to be a 1.5 hour phone conference with us as soon as he's reviewed the file I just sent him. Truly, my one disappointment is that he's in FL and won't be able to do my child's post-adoption evaluation or stay on as his/her pediatrician after we bring him/her home.

Between this and getting the first few pages of the file translated, I feel like we just made a HUGE breakthrough!