As we celebrate the stories from our Cradle family, Penelope Savalas Boardman shares her Cradle connection – her son, Dmitry:
“When Dmitry was three years old, as I was tucking him into bed one evening, he said:
‘Mama, when I was a baby, I needed you and you came to get me.’
That’s it—our adoption story. (It is a bit more involved than that, of course, but the gist is on target.)
On March 20, 2000, my late husband, Christopher, and I signed-up for The Cradle’s information meeting [for prospective adoptive parents]. On that very same day, on the other side of the globe, a baby boy was born in the Siberian town of Serov, north of Ekaterinburg. It was an auspicious sign that the boy was meant to be ours.
With guidance and support from The Cradle, our home-study was completed, our state requirements for DCFS satisfied, and the anticipation began. After several months of waiting for a match, came the more agonizing wait for a court date. As we waited, we watched the video clip each and every day. Eighteen months to the day of signing up for the information session, we met our little son.
On March 20, 2021, we celebrated Dmitry’s 21st birthday. He is an extraordinary young man. Dmitry has proved his resilience time and again particularly through the long illness and eventual passing of his beloved father as he began high school. He spent part of his sophomore year and entire junior year of college studying remotely from home due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He is an artist, and avid reader and excellent writer. I am proud of him. Chris would be, too.
People tell me that I have done a good job, but I had tremendous material to start with…and, I had the constant support of The Cradle.
Click here to make a gift in honor of your Cradle connection.
