From Russia with Love: Family Goes the Distance to Help a Child

"My mom and dad are coming to get me." For many orphans, such aspirations tragically too often go unrealized. But for three-year old Sofya, a child with multiple skeletal disorders that severely limited her mobility, adoption from her quaint orphanage in Romansk, Russia might have seemed particularly wishful. Further detracting from the likelihood of such a scenario was her pending transition to a boarding school for children with disabilities, a move that would permanently close all hope for adoption. Still, young Sofya persisted with her assertion to caregivers and friends.

As Sofya spoke these words, some 6000 miles away, Richard and Denise Luter of Luling, La., were feverishly searching to make Sofya’s professions a reality. Seeking to adopt a child with disabilities, the Luters had viewed thousands of adoption biographies online, and had suffered numerous setbacks in seeking out children. After contacting a Russian orphanage only to be told the children in question had been adopted, the Luters were told about Sofya. After viewing only one photo, the Luters knew their search had ended.

In Spring of 2004, Richard and Denise began an adoption process that included over 12,000 miles of travel, emotional Russian court appearances, and the involvement of U.S. senators to approve expedited INS clearance. By June, the exhausting process was completed far quicker than expected, and the Luters, along with son Matthew, brought Sofya home to Louisiana. Almost immediately, they began seeking medical care.

"My husband and I desperately wanted to help Sofya," Denise said. "We wanted to give her the best medical attention we could...to see the most qualified doctors that could meet her medical needs and give her the best quality of life possible. We found what we were looking for at Shriners."

Physicians at Shriners Hospitals for Children in Shreveport were able to provide the diagnosis that had eluded numerous physicians in both Russia and the U.S.: arthrogryposis. Dr. Elizabeth Pickvance, a pediatric orthopaedic specialist for the Shreveport Hospital, said the disease can manifest itself differently in each patient.

"Arthrogryposis is a disease of unknown etiology which is congenital and causes stiffness and possible dislocation of joints," Dr. Pickvance said. "The disease varies in different people from mild to severe."

Surgeons at the Shreveport Hospital performed a number of procedures on Sofya, including surgeries to correct her club feet and separate her fused fingers. A custom fabricated knee-ankle-foot brace was created in order to accommodate her frenetic activity level, which Dr. Pickvance said serves as inspiration to others.

"Sofya is one of those great souls which have an uplifting effect on those around her," she said. "She has overcome great adversity and will use her smile and personality to positively affect those around her."

Though Sofya will require several additional surgeries, her mobility has far surpassed the grim outlook suggested by her Russian caregivers. In fact Sofya, who at one time was expected not to walk, now thrives, at times even running without the assistance of her orthoses. Denise attributes her progress in part to the care Sofya has received at Shriners.

"Since coming to Shriners, Sofya’s progress has been incredible," she said. "She was not nearly as strong as she is now; she is using muscles she never used before. She’s like a different child."

The transition from a humble Russian orphanage to the arms of a loving south Louisiana family is one that Sofya has made with amazing optimism and courage, despite significant odds and nearly ten surgeries in her five years. And while her amazing journey with the Luter family is only just beginning, it is one that she had predicted from the start.

"Having Sofya in our lives has been such a joy and a blessing," Denise said. "Both of my children carry a torch that shines so brightly and lights up my life."