Smashbomb

Kira: sweet, sassy, and in between. I adopted her in March 2008. While my boyfriend was making a purchase at PetSmart near closing time. I wandered into the adoption area to check out the kitties. One of ours passed away 6 months before and we were heartbroken, as was that kitty's best friend and we'd been looking for a friend for her. As I walked past the cages of kittens, I stopped to open their cages to pet and talk to each one but didn't feel a connection to any of them. Then I got to the last cage. I saw a lovely tabby and unclasped the cage. She pushed the cage open with her head and immediately climbed into my arms, burying her head on my shoulder and purring loudly in my ear. My heart melted and I knew she was the one. She was 3 -1/2 years old and had lived in foster care for 3 years, spending every weekend in a cage at PetSmart. Due to the fear, loneliness, and anxiety, she experienced anorexia and had to be force-fed during the week, so she was overweight and had fatty liver disease. I wanted to take her home with me that second by the adoption agent was gone for the day so I had to wait until the next weekend to adopt her. I cried all week imagining her loneliness and stressful living condition. When I went back to adopt her, I took her on a shopping spree so she could pick out her favorite bed, toys, foods, and treats, then brought her home.

A few years after I adopted her, she had a stroke due to a cerebral hemorrhage. I heard her cry out and immediately ran to her. Her eyes could not focus and we're rolling around in her head. I scooped her up in my arms and drove her to the vet, calling them, them my boyfriend to let them know what was going on and that we were on our way there. Along with the brain bleed, she has vestibular syndrome, which makes her world look a little askew so she has a permanent head tilt, which makes her look adorable and gives her a cute walk. She had undiagnosed high blood pressure, which led to the stroke, so she takes medication to treat it. She had difficulty walking and jumping so I did physical therapy at home with her to make it easier for her. I put a wedge-shape physical therapy pillow on the floor at the foot of the bed that she could use it as a ramp so she could get on the bed whenever she wanted to snuggle.

Kira is incredibly sweet and is an absolute darling. She loves to lie in my lap and can be rather insistent about it. She's also demanding when she wants to be fed her canned food at night. There is always 3 types of Iam's dry food available for her but she loves her Fancy Feast at night. Between her fatty liver disease and vestibular disease, she develops nausea if her tummy is empty so the vet recommends keeping her well-fed. Kira approves of that advice.

Kudos

Hazel (1853 KP) rated Taken in Books

Dec 17, 2018

Taken

Rosie Lewis | 2017

8.0

(1 Ratings)

Book Rating

I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.

Rosie Lewis, presumably a penname, has been a professional foster carer for over seven years. During this time, she has dealt with children and teenagers from all sorts of backgrounds who are usually facing some form of crisis or difficulty. In latter years, Rosie has begun to combine her love of writing with her fostering experiences by writing story-like memoirs. Taken is Rosie’s latest publication, which reveals how emotionally challenging fostering can be.

Rosie first met Megan when she was only a few days old, struggling with the effects of neonatal abstinence syndrome and a cleft plate. Removed from her mother’s care – a drug addict – Megan needs a temporary home to go to. Rosie is more than happy to take care of Megan until her “forever home” can be found.

As time goes on, Rosie and her children become attached to the little girl and include her as part of the family. Megan’s salient recovery turns her into an energetic, slightly precocious toddler who absolutely adores Rosie’s family as much as they love her. But Rosie knows she will eventually have to say goodbye, no matter what her feelings.

Rosie explains to the reader how difficult it is to function properly as a foster carer once strong emotions have got involved. She dreams of being able to keep Megan forever, but when a couple are found who desperately want a child, Rosie has no choice but to say goodbye.

It is heartbreaking to see the effects of the separation on Rosie as well as on Megan, who, despite Rosie’s attempts to elucidate the situation, does not fully comprehend what is going on. Guiltily hoping that Megan’s irascible behaviour, or a cataclysmic event, puts the new parents off adoption, Rosie says goodbye to the little girl she loves with all her heart. However, her hopes are raised when it becomes clear the adoption is not sitting as well with the new parents as much as they originally hoped. Perhaps Rosie has a chance to become Megan’s “forever mummy” after all?

Told from Rosie’s professional perspective, readers are taken on a journey from a child’s unstable beginning, to a time when they are at peace with the world. It is impossible to be unaffected by the events in Megan’s life, or experience versions of Rosie’s own emotions.

Many foster carers, social workers and nurses have put their experiences onto paper to share with the world. Most are good storytellers and are able to create a tale that could almost be fiction, with good use of vocabulary and imagery. At times, it felt like Rosie was attempting to tell a story, but instead ended up with a formal account of events. As the book progressed, however, the reader becomes so invested in Megan’s wellbeing that this issue becomes unnoticeable.

Unlike stories about older children in care, Megan’s life is easier to read about since, being fostered as a new born baby, she has no demoralizing past to overcome. Taken is by far the happier story within its genre, not least because of its satisfying ending, but from the joy Megan brings to the lives of everyone around her, too. Those new to this style of book may find Taken a good way of easing themselves into the genre, rather than jumping in with a story about a child with a background full of unspeakable things.