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Six Lucky Siblings
An Older-Child Adoption Story
By Kelly Burgess
een scheduled to spend a week at nearby Summer Miracles Camp, which is sponsored by Kidsave International, a non-profit organization whose mission is to end the harmful institutionalization of the world's abandoned children. The Duttons had the kids' itinerary adjusted to spend the week at their home instead so they could all get to know each other. 
A week before the Kazakhstan children arrived, the Duttons' son, Benjamin, was working at Summer Miracles Camp, which was hosting a group of children from several Moscow-area orphanages. One day Benjamin came to his parent's house with 13-year Anastasia, explaining that her host family had fallen through and asking if they would please keep her for the week. Naturally, they agreed. By the time Anastasia had been with them three days, every member of the family was in love with her. Each of Sheila's and Dean's children came to them asking if they wouldn't consider adopting her. Since they were already attached to Anastasia, it didn't require much thought. Besides, Sheila reasoned, she could be a sister for Natasha.
Anastasia went back to her orphanage in Moscow, and the next week the Kazakhstan siblings arrived at the Duttons'. They spent a week, and at the end of that time, Sheila and Dean spoke to each of them individually, explaining that they wanted to adopt them. Through a translator Alex said, "This is what I have wanted all my life."
At the end of 2001, Sheila and Dean traveled first to Moscow and then to Kazakhstan to pick up the children. While visiting Anastasia, who they hadn't seen in several months, it became obvious that she was very distressed. As it turned out, she had an older brother, Yuri, who she was very close to. Yuri was the one who had been diagnosed with the mysterious condition "moronity in the ogliphrenia." Whatever was wrong with him, what the Duttons saw was a charming boy who looked more like a 12-year-old than a 17-year-old. Not being able to bear the thought of separating the two siblings, the Duttons decided to adopt him as well. Eventually, Sheila and Dean returned home with six children who spoke very little English and were so far removed from the Duttons' devout, hardworking lifestyle they may as well have been from the moon.
