All children are truly a blessing.
When Liz Smith caught sight of the radiant, blue-eyed girl, her initial reaction was, “Who’s this beautiful angel?”
As she made her way to Franciscan Children’s Hospital in Brighton, Massachusetts, where she served as the director of nursing, Liz’s path intersected with eight-month-old Giselle.
Giselle, a ward of the state, had been under the hospital’s care for the past five months.
Born prematurely, she weighed less than 2 pounds at birth in July 2016.
She was diagnosed with neonatal abstinence syndrome.
During her five-month tenure at the hospital, Giselle relied on a feeding tube and required specialized attention for her respiratory health.
As soon as Smith laid eyes on the child, she felt she wanted to become her foster parent.
With her inherently compassionate nature, motherhood was always a calling within Smith’s heart.
Smith experienced the loss of her mother to cancer at the age of 19.
Inspired by her mother’s selflessness, who worked as a pediatric nurse, Smith decided to follow in her footsteps.
“My mom was a pediatric nurse who always put others first. So I grew up wanting to be a nurse, too.”
Among Smith’s siblings, she has two brothers and two sisters.
Her family was about to grow.
Witnessing her brothers and sisters starting their own families left her disheartened, as she had not yet experienced the joy of having children of her own.
Despite having her role as “the world’s greatest aunt” to her 13 nieces and nephews, Smith longed for the profound connection that comes with raising a child biologically related to her.
She had never seriously considered adoption.
However, everything changed when she encountered Giselle.
The encounter with Giselle touched her heart in such a profound way that it caused a shift in her perspective and ultimately changed her mind about pursuing parenthood.
Motivated by her desire to provide care for Giselle, Smith began the process of completing the necessary paperwork to become Giselle’s foster parent, with the intention of raising her as her own.
At 9 months, Giselle went home.
Smith finally had the opportunity to come home with Gissele, although an agreement was made with the state to continue efforts in reuniting the child with her biological parents.
The experience of bringing Giselle into her home was both exhilarating and overwhelming for Smith.
Despite the uncertain outcome and the possibility that she might not be able to keep Giselle permanently, Smith recognized the importance of wholeheartedly committing herself to the child’s well-being.
She understood the significance of providing a stable and loving environment for Giselle, regardless of the potential challenges and uncertainties that lay ahead.
The state determined that Giselle’s biological parents were unable to provide adequate care for her.
Adoption was now on the table.
But the news was bitter-sweet.
Smith said, “The day I got the call that their parental rights were terminated was very sad. My gain was another’s loss. It’s a feeling difficult to describe when you are experiencing this life-changing moment that someone else is as well, in the opposite way. The bottom line is: It’s devastating for another family.”
Under Smith’s devoted care, Giselle thrived and developed into a strong and healthy child, ultimately being officially embraced as a cherished member of the family in October 2018.
According to Liz’s brother, this was the long-awaited relationship that had been missing from his sister’s life.
They’re two pieces of the same puzzle.
Despite still relying on a feeding tube at the age of 2, Giselle managed to gain an impressive 23 pounds.
Giselle’s remarkable journey from being a vulnerable premature baby in the NICU at Franciscan Children’s Hospital to becoming an adored child.
Learn more about Giselle and Liz’s heartwarming story of coming together in the video below!
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