Gisele’s Adoption
And after Liz fostered Gisele for nine months, the birth parents’ rights were officially ended, and Gisele became eligible for adoption. Thus, begins when the nurse adopted a baby.
Finally, the day came on October 18, 2018, when Gisele became Gisele Katherine Smith.
Liz Smith, Director of Nursing, knew from a young age that she wanted to follow in her mother’s footsteps and become a pediatric nurse. What she didn’t know is that her nursing career would lead her to find her daughter. Read more via @washingtonpost: https://t.co/SbQQGmrsHJ pic.twitter.com/VKrxIcuBzb
— Franciscan Childrens (@FranciscanHFC) April 4, 2019
Liz explained that it was her own mother who had inspired her to live a selfless life.
“My mom was a pediatric nurse who always put others first,” Liz explained. “So I grew up wanting to be a nurse, too.”
Speaking of Gisele, specifically, Liz said, “I felt that I needed to love this child and keep her safe.”
And keep her safe, Liz did. Gisele continued to grow and develop.
“Her first word was ‘badoon,’ for balloon,” Liz shared, looking back. “Today, we still call it that.”
But that doesn’t mean that Liz didn’t feel for Gisele’s birth family.
“My gain was another’s loss,” Liz said. “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.”
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When asked about the adoption, Liz said, ““I was excited but nervous, realizing that I was committing everything I had to this child who might not be in my life forever.”
Today Gisele is six years old. To watch an interview of how the nurse adopted a baby, and see Gisele, too, watch this YouTube video of shortly after the adoption:
