Not the Way the Story is Supposed to Play Out

Excluding the additions to one’s own family, perhaps the most unforeseen aspect of the Kazakhstan adoption experience is the intense camaraderie that develops between fellow adoptive families. In navigating through the arduous process, we all must endure our own customized adoptive “boot camp” – and in surviving its rigours, we have all essentially earned our memberships in the same exclusive club. Some of the strongest bonds are formed with families that overlapped and were “in country” at the same time.

For us, one of those bonds would be with Mike and Janene who adopted their son Alexander (who will forever remain Amirzhan in our minds) from the same Baby House as Zoe (who will forever be Yerkezhan in their minds). Mike and Janene arrived in Almaty a couple weeks before us and thus were able to counsel us on what we might reasonably expect along the way (although no two adoptions are ever identical in Kazakhstan – the rules have always remained quite fluid, to say the least).


Similar to how Amirzhan and Yerkezhan shared a room in the large baby house, we shared a coordinator, a translator, a driver and a van with Mike and Janene. Where they went, we went and vice versa for the weeks that we overlapped in Almaty.

Soon after returning to the US with Alexander (in 2008), Janene was diagnosed with terminal cancer and given less than year to live. Tragedy! A nightmare nobody could have ever imagined. So unfair! How could this possibly be?


Inspirational character that she is, Janene persevered through the shock and indignity of it all.

And persevered years beyond her original prognosis.

And persevered.


However, a few short weeks ago, Janene succumbed to the beast within.

“Good night, sweet princess. And may flights of angels sing thee to thy rest”

Our hearts go out to Mike and Alexander.


We celebrate all of our wonderful memories of Janene in the following pictures of our time together in Almaty.


Janene, Alexander/Amirzhan, and Mike spend time bonding at Baby House #2

Mike bonds with Alexander/Amirzhan, while Zoe
pays a visit to Janene.  Janene often wore beautiful necklaces which Zoe loved to play with.

 

Janene with a storekeeper resplendent in his Technicolour Dreamcoat and fur hat. He did smile…but only when the camera was not pointed at him.

 

Janene and Mike with “The Lads”. A classic pose for adoptive parents visiting Kok Tobe in Almaty.

 

The four of us viewing Almaty from the top of Kok Tobe.



Mike and Janene braving the "Fast Coaster" ride on top of Kok Tobe.

 

Janene models a multi-thousand dollar fur hat with our shared translator, Asielle.



Celebrating a successful court verdict at an Uzbek restaurant with our shared coordinator, Zhaniya and translator, Asielle.

Gothcha Day.  Alexander and his new parents, Mike and Janene, leave Baby House #2 forever.  

  “And we can have forever. And we can love forever. Forever is our today”.

We will love and remember you forever, Janene.