Couple tell of adoption rewards

A couple who have adopted two sisters with a rare genetic disorder are urging more people to foster and adopt children with disabilities.

Pamela and Mark Gleave from Amlwch, Anglesey, have adopted Katie, six, and 19-month-old Kelly.

The girls have PEHO syndrome, affecting their brains, muscles and eyesight.

They say the rewards are immense, despite challenges such as having to resuscitate the girls when they stop breathing, and the expense.

"Anything you do for them, it's as if they have a big smile on their faces"
Pamela Gleave

PEHO syndrome is a degenerative disorder which leaves them profoundly disabled and could kill them at any moment.

Mrs Gleave said it meant that the family made the most of each moment.

"Katie would be happy to sit here 24 hours a day, being hugged and kissed and loved, and that's all they ask for, anything else is a bonus," she said.

The family have been to Disney on Ice in Manchester and a pantomime at Llandudno.

"It's so rewarding, it really is, it's a pleasure," she added.

The adoption for both girls was finalised on 7 October, and their arrival has meant the family home has had to be altered.

Cameras monitor the girls when they are in bed, and the family are fund-raising to buy a generator in case the electricity goes off, as the girls need oxygen.

"If we have no electricity, it can mean life or death for the girls," said Mrs Gleave.

"We are trying to raise funds for a generator because it is absolutely a necessity for us, to keep the girls at home," she said.