Bringing Madison home: Adoption of Vietnamese toddler has been held up 7 months
Bringing Madison home: Adoption of Vietnamese toddler has been held up 7 months
By GENA KITTNER/Wisconsin State Journal
Via Webcam and the Internet, Doris and Bill Brendler sit in their East Side living room chatting and blowing kisses to their newest granddaughter — Madison.
The little girl with a bright smile and wide eyes is named after their daughter Karla's hometown. But she and Madison are nowhere near home.
For more than seven months they've been stuck in Hanoi, Vietnam, after immigration authorities in the United States said they intended to deny Madison's orphan status — making her ineligible for a visa — citing concerns about the safeguards Vietnam uses to ensure children aren't sold for adoption.
Karla Brendler can't return to the U.S. without leaving 16-month-old Madison behind and giving her back to the orphanage with little chance of being readopted — an option she won't consider.
"I will stay as long as it takes to get my daughter back home," she said by e-mail.
Until then, these almost every-other-day chats with her parents using the Internet video-phone service Skype have been a lifeline for the Brendler family.
A former kindergarten teacher in the Verona School District for nine years, Karla Brendler moved to Iowa City, Iowa, in 1994 after her partner got a job offer there.
She decided to adopt about three years ago, first working with a program in Belarus until that country's program was shut down. She then switched to Ukraine, but after completing most of the necessary paperwork, she was told Ukraine was no longer accepting applications from single parents.
"That is when I decided to go with Vietnam for my adoption, and I'm glad I did," Brendler said. "It has been and continues to be an incredibly difficult emotional roller coaster ride, but I truly believe that Madison was meant to be my daughter."
But her timing proved unfortunate.
Concern about fraud
On the day Brendler arrived in Vietnam, Oct. 25, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services in Ho Chi Minh City announced that because of "growing concerns about irregularities in the methods used to identify children for adoption in Vietnam and the resulting difficulties in classifying those children as orphans," the local USCIS office would need to verify the status of any orphan up for adoption to the U.S.
American authorities said the lapses have allowed corruption, fraud and baby-selling to flourish.
The dispute comes amid a boom in adoptions from Vietnam. In 2007, American families adopted 828 Vietnamese children, up 400 percent from a year earlier, according to the U.S. Department of State.
The U.S. suspended all adoptions from Vietnam in 2003 over concerns about corruption. Adoptions resumed in 2006 under a bilateral agreement intended to ensure they were above board.
In Madison's case, U.S. officials found discrepancies between their investigation and the original facts reported to the Vietnamese government on how the child was found, prompting immigration officials to raise a red flag on the adoption.
Brendler's lawyer, Irene Steffas, said a poor Vietnamese farmer with a husband and two young children reported finding Madison outside her home in January 2007. Madison went unclaimed at an orphanage until Brendler adopted her in October.
But when the woman was interviewed by the U.S. Embassy, she denied finding a baby.
Steffas said the woman was questioned after being pulled out of a class and told she could only be gone for 10 minutes. Because she was nervous and anxious to get back to class, Steffas said, she changed her story.
Costs mounting
The constant battle with the two governments, the struggle to pay legal bills and adjusting to motherhood all weigh heavily on Brendler.
And although friends and family in Iowa City and Madison have held fundraisers to help Brendler afford her stay — including one today — money is a constant worry.
In April, mother and daughter moved to a smaller one-room apartment with a tiny kitchenette and bathroom to save money.
The extended stay has been financially devastating, she said. Including legal bills, the cost of the adoption has totaled about $80,000 so far.
"I have used up my savings. I have borrowed money from my parents to help pay legal bills, and my family donated the proceeds from a very successful garage sale they held recently for the cause," Brendler said.
Staying connected
Through their Internet connection, Bill and Doris Brendler watch Madison eat her breakfast in a highchair made by strapping her into a desk chair facing the computer. She smiles, wiggles and waves to her Bumpa (grandpa) and Nanna (grandma).
"She never sits still," Karla Brendler says over the Internet. "We do yoga while we eat."
Brendler walks around her tiny apartment while she talks, fixing Madison's breakfast. She and her parents chat about the recent earthquake in China and give updates on family members. Her mother offers advice on toddlers' napping schedules.
Doris Brendler knows first-hand the challenges Karla faces entertaining a toddler in busy, noisy Hanoi. In October, she traveled with her daughter to Vietnam to help with the adoption process. They expected to stay about three weeks, but as the problems with the visa went unresolved, Doris needed to return to the U.S. for work.
"It was horrendous," Doris Brendler said of leaving her daughter and Madison. "I cried all the way to the airport."
Bill Conzemius, interim superintendent for the Mauston School District and former superintendent of the Verona School District, remembers Karla Brendler as "a wonderful teacher."
"She was animated, caring and just a vital part of the School District," he said.
Brendler's teaching instincts are evident in her interactions with Madison. When Madison starts to whine, Brendler tells her sweetly to "use her words" or sign language to ask for more bananas or Cheerios (which she has shipped from the U.S.). Madison has also learned to hold her crayons and spoon (although food doesn't always make it to her mouth).
Still hope
Steffas, who has specialized in international adoption for more than 10 years, said there is hope in Brendler's case.
"There is a glimmer of light," Steffas said. "We're redoing some steps to show that everything was done in proper manner and in accordance with Vietnamese law."
Steffas has represented three other families since October in situations similar to Brendler's, and all those families had their adoptions approved in March.
If Brendler's appeals are unsuccessful, the case could go to U.S. federal court.
But Brendler remains optimistic she and Madison will come home soon.
"I count myself as extremely blessed to have such wonderful people in my life," Brendler said of all the work people are doing on their behalf. "This experience has been life changing for me."
The Associated Press and the Iowa City Press-Citizen contributed to this report.
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