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Quake Interrupts Bay County Family’s Adoption of Haitian Orphans
01/18/10 - 09:43 PM
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A Bay County family anxiously awaits news about their son and daughter in Haiti.

They are in the process of adopting twins from an orphanage in Port au Prince.

It’s been three years and one day since the Cassel family picked out their newest additions. But changing adoption requirements have dragged out the process.

Their son and daughter were at the orphanage in Haiti during Tuesday’s earthquake.

They are okay but do not have food, water or shelter.

The orphanage is called Maison des Enfants de Dieu or The House of the Children of God.

According to their blog, virtually the only connection with the rest of the world, a wall collapsed in the quake, killing a nurse.
Miraculously all of the children escaped without serious injury.

Now the Cassels are terrified that three year’s worth of adoption paperwork could be at the bottom of the debris.

The adoption process isn’t complete but 4-year-old Kayla and Kaleb are already part of the Cassel family.

Kathy Cassel was celebrating her son Adam’s 15th birthday Tuesday when she logged onto facebook.

That was the first she heard of the disaster.

“There were just all these messages, you know, how is our orphanage, what’s happening…”

The only words she was looking for were, “The children are all fine.”

That concern echoed from the Cassel kids.

“I was thinking are they going to be ok and are they going to get help,” says 8-year-old Jasmine.

Kathy and her husband Richard already have five mouths to feed. Three are adopted; one also from Haiti.

But they say Kayla and Kaleb’s adoption process has been much more complicated.

Many processed adoptions just waiting for a passport are being expedited to the United States.

Families like the Cassels weren’t as lucky.

“We were like one step short of getting the adoption decree,” Kathy says. “Our paper was in the courthouse for that and we believe that courthouse is no longer standing so our paperwork is under a ton of rubble.”

Without that paperwork they don’t know how long they could be left waiting or if they’ll have to start from scratch.

News 13 will keep you updated on developments with the Cassel’s adoption.

For a link to the Cassel’s blog, click here.