In June 2014, Priscilla Morse had just been browsing on Facebook when she saw the boy who she knew would become one of her sons.
The photo of a “skeletal orphan” from an orphanage in Bulgaria had somehow made its way onto Priscilla’s newsfeed. She immediately called her husband, David, over, and it wasn’t long until the couple agreed that they would adopt the young boy.
Priscilla herself had been adopted by her parents after their son with special needs passed away, and she and her husband had already adopted a daughter a couple years back.
“I was pretty young when [my parents’ previous son] passed away, [but] I remember how much my parents loved him in spite of all his special needs,” Priscilla said. “I wanted to give that to a child that was given up because of his special needs. Everyone is deserving of a family.”
After six months, Priscilla and David flew halfway around the world to the orphanage to meet the boy for the first time.
At the time, he was seven years old and weighed just seven pounds. He was malnourished, and doctors diagnosed him with cerebral palsy, microcephaly, scoliosis, clubbed feet, and dwarfism.
Priscilla remembered that the doctors even apologized to her, saying that there was no chance the boy would survive.
But the Morses refused to give up on this child.
Priscilla and David took the boy home with them to Tennessee and began the slow process of nursing and nurturing him back to health.
Now, a full year after his adoption, eight-year-old Ryan Morse is now 23 pounds and is finally beginning to speak and move on his own.
His parents put in every care and effort to meet all of his special needs, and couldn’t be more thrilled to have his presence join their family of five after saving his life.
You can watch some footage of the happy family here:
