Nico and Whitney: A story of love, disability, and coming home
Four years ago, when Whitney first saw Nico’s profile on the Special Needs Adoption website, she felt an immediate connection to this little boy from Colombia. As a single woman, however, her first thought was, “Is it crazy for me to think about adoption? Is it even a possibility?” So she looked into it. And then she spent the next 18 months working to make it happen. There were some serious obstacles to overcome: In addition to the typical difficulties with overseas adoptions, Nico is a child with Down Syndrome and Autism. But this only made Whitney more determined to act.
Two years ago, Whitney traveled to Colombia and brought Nico home with her, and since then, her love for him has of course grown exponentially. He’s grown, too, overcoming malnourishment from the orphanage and even beginning to walk - each new milestone a reason for celebration. Nico is funny, strong-willed, and determined. Even though he doesn’t use words to communicate, he finds creative ways to bring love and joy wherever he goes.
Whitney has done an unbelievable job navigating our complicated medical system to help get Nico the services and supports he needs. It’s taken time, but Nico has really grown to trust his adoptive mother. Whitney recently told me, “when I first brought him home, he either wouldn’t let me touch him or he would go rigid when I went to pick him up, but now he curls into me or puts his arms around me. Nico now sees me as his person, rather than just a person. And he is allowing me to comfort him. Nico is the best thing that ever happened to me.”
I’m so grateful to have had the opportunity to get to know Whitney and Nico, and to hear some of their story- I hope it touches your heart in the same it has mine!
Disability Pride Month is celebrated every July and is an opportunity to honor the history, achievements, experiences, and struggles of the disability community.
From Whitney,
“I have no words to express the gratitude I feel towards Katrina for sharing her gift with my family. We’ve done photo shoots before and had some really beautiful photos come from them but the photos Katrina captured were phenomenal. Not because we had some beautiful backdrop, not because Katrina was good at catching my son’s best smile but because she was able to capture who we are as a family. Katrina was very perceptive of what was natural and would work for my family (my son has special needs that can complicate catching a good photo). She was compassionate and caring as I shared the story of how Nico became my son and all the while she was truly capturing my family. I wasn’t able to verbalize it until I saw the pictures but I shared one specific photo and told her that photo showed everything I had ever wanted in a photo, it showed my son looking at me and knowing he’s finally “home.” Thank you Katrina ❣️”
Hello there and thank you for stopping by! I’m Katrina, the heartbeat behind Fifty Two Hundred Photo + Film, in Durham, North Carolina. I specialize in capturing meaningful and precious memories for remarkable families in North Carolina. I hope you enjoyed this story I shared today and if you are interested in learning more about The Time Capsule membership, or let’s connect. Not quite ready to connect, but you would like to follow along the journey? Follow me on Instagram and let’s be friends!
Katrina is a family photographer and family filmmaker in Durham, North Carolina. She offers lifestyle newborn photography, family photography and family videography which focuses on capturing authentic and honest moments for families. Her clients love that not only do they get digital files from their session but artwork to display in their home. She is happy to custom albums so you can revisit your favorite memories for years to come! Be sure to check out the Adobe partnership to see Katrina sharing her knowledge on capturing magical light to highlight the essence of each family.
Want an easy way to make something beautiful out of all your phone photos and videos? Learn more about the Time Capsule Membership here.
Katrina serves Durham, Raleigh, Cary, Carrboro, Apex, Chapel Hill, North Carolina.