Our Story...

Hello friends, both old and new! We are Kenley and Kellin, the oldest kids in the Cogan Clan, and we are going to be the narrators for our family's amazing, astonishing and accelerated adventure! As you can see to the right, our countdown clock never slows down! 


We'll start from the beginning, but we'll be brief...


The Cogan family began with Nick (or Knick) and Keely. Kenley, Kellin, and Kolya came next. Karwen's was our first adoption journey, and our second was when both Kai and Kade came home. In the two years since the boys arrived, we have continued to think about, pray for, and love the children who are still waiting...and that is how we were brought to Kassi.

 

We found her through Wonderful Waiting Kids, an advocacy site created by an amazing friend. We were struck by the strength and beauty that came across in her short video. We were just blown away by her and knew that we would love the chance to be her family but we would be starting at square one and there were only a few months left. We prayed for her family to find her. There are far too many children aging out and we pray for all of them to find their forever place, but for us, at this time, it was Kassi that was foremost in our hearts. We started to wonder whether we were her family and the questions began to be answered bit by bit. We found out that with an expedited adoption, although difficult, it could be possible. We continued prayerfully to ask for guidance. 


We just couldn’t imagine how it could work... and then we saw a video in which she talks about wanting a home and describes the family. We felt like she was talking directly to us. We had our answers. We knew in our hearts. We would listen and do everything in our power to get her home with her family - this family!

Kassi has waited so long - almost too long, as she 'ages out' in July! You see, in China, children in orphanages 'age out' on their 14th birthday. On that day, instead of celebrating another year of their life, they mourn the loss of ever having a family of their own. If we are even one day too late, it is too late forever. We are counting the days, hoping and praying that we will not be too late.

We have everything already in place for her medically (Karwen, Kai, and Kade have very similar reasons to see our fabulous team of medical helpers) and, although we can have no guarantees, there is every hope that her daily life can be so much easier and more pain free. Kassi was born with CP and two precious clubfeet that have never been repaired, so she struggles to walk even with her walker. This will become even more difficult for her as time goes on. Make no mistake though, we will feel so very blessed and proud to be able to truly call ourselves “Kassi’s Krewe”, no matter what, because this girl has no limitations other than where she is, and the family that she lacks. She is very smart, and loves storytelling, journaling and crafts. 

We are watching the days fly by until her birthday, and that means that we are doing a twelve month process in just over twelve weeks! We have received PA (provincial approval from China) and our homestudy is almost complete (we are just waiting for our last state clearances).


We are so blessed by and thankful for help of ANY kind. We are equally grateful for any support; be it through thoughts and prayers, funds, or fundraising. We have a tax-deductible charitable donation site, which you can reach through the link or the button on the right. We were also accepted into the Reece's Rainbow Family Sponsorship Program.

We are so excited for you all to join us on this journey to our sweet girl! Please feel free to share!