| OCR Text |
Show HIeire at fast: Indiam baby beats the odds &' till Ms . - Ml i - , ' ' " ' I V ' 'u v M? V' ':'"' ' ' ''.! f : k - ' i iM- ;l .y;v;' .7 by JANICE PERRY Record editor The odds are far too difficult to contemplate: that an "untouchable" infant, weighing less than 4 pounds at birth and abandoned to die in Calcutta, India, would find himself in the loving arms of a Snyderville family. Yet Kelly Javin Don Mather, weighing only 6 pounds 11 ounces when he was delivered into Shannon "Sam" and Dave Mather's arms at three months old, had survived the odds. The tough little fighter did not become part of India's appalling mortality statistics. Instead of begging on the crowded, dirty streets of Calcutta, Javin will . grow up riding his family's horses in the expanse of the American West. Without his new family, Javin's chances for survival in India would have been bleak. "Every 30 days, 1 million children between infancy and the age of 5 die of starvation," said Sam. She explained that under the Hindu Hin-du religion which largely governs the lower-caste, dark-skinned "un- , touchable" street people of Calcutta Calcut-ta abortions and birth control are forbidden and unmarried women are not allowed to bear children. ' "But it is not against the (Hindu) law to abandon children and leave them to die," Sam said. And that was how little Javin, at 3 pounds 13 ounces, came to be abandoned in a birthing shelter. Javin's mother anonymously laid down, bore the boy, and left. The shelter's operators put the unwashed unwash-ed and unfed infant aside and called - the International Mission of Hope an adoption agency founded by Cheri Clark of Denver. Workers came and picked up the child. Through the mission and a Seattle adoption agency, Javin was assigned assign-ed to the Mathers, who were given a small, black-and-white photograph of the infant who was to be their son. That picture today is dog-eared and soiled evidence of its constant handling in the happiness and anticipation an-ticipation that followed four years of waiting for a child. When he isn't being cuddled and carted around by his adoptive family, fami-ly, Javin is nestled in an antique cradle and surrounded by gifts from the Mathers' friends, who crowded into the Salt Lake International Air-port Air-port Oct. 1, waving banners and signs proclaiming their good wishes and love for the emaciated newcomer and his tearful, happy parents. The Mathers, who have been married mar-ried five years, are not strangers to parenthood. Dave has custody of three children by a previous marriageTammy, mar-riageTammy, 15, Todd, 16, and Shaun, 20 children that Sam has helped raise through their teenage years. Their desire to adopt an Indian . child began four years ago, when the Mathers lived in Hudson, Wise. There, they met a family that had adopted children from India. "We were just immediately caught up with the idea of saving children's lives," Sam said. "We were impressed with the children and how bright they were and how they had come out of the malnutrition" malnutri-tion" that is the norm in India, she said. The Indian children they have met, she said, have been singularly bright and healthy. , But a wait that was to have been no more than a year stretched into four, as Western Airlines transferred transfer-red Dave, a pilot, to Utah and the pre-adoption home study that was done in Wisconsin had to be repeated -here. " . ' , "A situation arose a year ago in which we could have had a Cauca- ' sian baby and we turned it down," .' Sam said. "We knew there is standing-room only for blond-haired, blond-haired, blue-eyed babies." They opted instead to save a child's life. "Our philosophy is the same as the International Mission of Hope. All ) children, no matter what race or : creed or color, are the future of 1 mankind and have the right to be nurtured and loved ideally by their . own families," Sam said. "But when51 poverty or sickness or death or lack ; of concern (leave children-1" homeless), then we feel those children must be cared for by the ; human family." By adopting orphaned Indian " children, "we are giving these children the gift of life and that's ; what we're giving Javin," she said, and glanced over at the boy, who was nestled in his father's arms. ; "With love, a lot of love." ; : At four months, Javin's, eyes sparkle. Weighing about 10 pounds, he is beginning to fill out his size-zero size-zero sleepers. At first glance, he appears ap-pears to be a newborn, but a closer look reveals a winsome smile and an ' awareness that younger infants , lack. His color has improved since ' his arrival and he now has some fat ; on his bones. ) "It's just like putting a sponge in water," Sam said of Javin's month of growth. "He's really come a long way." ' . ". '; The Mathers say Javin is just the beginning of a new era in parenthood ' for them. "We're already beginning to think about his sister," Sam said, referring to plans to adopt yet more of the Indian orphans. Dave, who cradled, snuggled, fed, burped and bounced Javin throughout the interview, agreed. They laughed, saying they've talked; . about i saving , ,a ..dozen, such little lives. ' v ' ' i "I really don't have the philosophy ' that I have to put my kids through college," Dave said. "If we can help more kids of this kind get through life ..." he said, and his voice trailed off as he watched Javin reach out and grasp his finger and hold it, tight. Shannon and Dave Mather (upper right) are thrilled with their son, Javin, from India. VFrlerids met them at the airport to greet them with love ( right and above) as they arrived .... with the malnourished infant. Dr. Robert Winn (lower left) checktd'jatlirrlrealth'when-the checktd'jatlirrlrealth'when-the 3-month-old arrived in Park City. Javin's older brother, Todd Mather, ( left) shows how tiny and emaciated the boy was on arrival Oct. 1. ' ALT 1 )J:tlHiii:llIil T ' I i r I l v .. : " iy If ' : li . N - . I i v. ' ' I - rr. ;ij ; : ' X i ' uim i in LTi'i'tPiiii !! .immui iiwy im . "W"! ' ! ' . , " 1 w"" 1 1 r ir " tT' T"H' V ""r '... r - : t . ; 1 j K H y . . |
