Foster parents relied on God to serve medically fragile children

A skull fracture, cancer, an aggressive antibiotic-resistant infection— the first three foster children who came into Pam and Brad Jordan’s home struggled with terrible diseases on top of the trauma of abuse and neglect.

Pam and Brad said it was challenging and at times overwhelming to care for the medically-fragile children, but being their foster parents was the most rewarding experience they could have imagined.

Pam and Brad were the first foster family certified by Arrow in California about five years ago. Arrow was still establishing itself in the state, so they didn’t immediately receive a placement.

“I spoke to God more in those weeks of waiting than I ever have on any one situation in my life,” Pam said. “I specifically asked that He would choose the child for us.”

When they did receive their first foster child, she was a 1-year-old girl who had a skull fracture from being shaken, and required special care and attention. They cared for her for about 10 weeks before a relative was able to adopt her, reuniting her with her siblings.

The second child to come into their home was even more difficult. The infant boy was prone to MRSA infections, a form of staph that’s resistant to antibiotics. They had to wear gloves when they changed him, and wash his clothes and bedding with bleach. Several times, when he had an outbreak, they had to go to the emergency room.

Their third child, maybe the most challenging of all, was a 4-year-old girl suffering from leukemia. The girl needed many, many doctors’ appointments and medications, as well as two surgeries and chemotherapy. The day she came into the Jordan’s home, they met with the girl’s oncologist, who talked them through her complicated medication regimen.

“We had a whole schedule and calendar with different pills for different days,” Pam said. “She was such a little tiny thing, but she would swallow them all.”

Their situation was challenging, but Pam, Brad and their foster children weren’t alone. God was a constant support during difficult times.

“We were scared with each of the children’s conditions and the responsibility we had to care for them, but we trusted God and prayed a lot,” Pam said. “God provided for all our needs, and when it came down to it, what He asked from us was to love these kids.”

The couple also received help and support form Arrow team members, whether they needed advice, or help taking a child to a doctor’s appointment or home visit.

“I could call anytime of the day, and they would be right there,” Pam said.

Now, all three of Pam and Brad’s former foster children have been adopted by other loving families, and are healthy and doing well. Pam and Brad still keep in touch with each one. The third child they fostered, the one who had leukemia, lives just 15 minutes away, and calls them “Grandma Pam and Grandpa Brad.”

They even inspired their own adult biological daughter and her husband to become foster parents one day. The couple plans to begin foster parent training in the near future.

When they do complete training and receive their first foster child, Pam and Brad hope their daughter and son-in-law take as much away from the foster experience as they did, challenges and all.

“Was it hard? Yes! Were we tired? Yes! Were we stressed at times? Yes! Was it worth it? A hundred times yes!” Pam said. “We were blessed beyond measure by those kids and their love. When people would question us how we did it, we just simply stated that we just trusted God and gave love. Everything else fell into place.”