COLLIERVILLE, Tenn.– The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines the name Adonis as a very handsome young man, a beautiful youth in Greek mythology.
A 4-year-old little boy also named Adonis is lovingly seen the same way by his family. If the laughter, the smiles, and the hugs are any indication of the love the Perkins have for Adonis then you easily know he has found his home, and this is his family.
Cecelia and Kyle Perkins of Collierville will tell you it was love at first sight when they first met Adonis.
“We have three beautiful healthy biological children, but about three and half years ago we heard about a little boy who was six months old who had some special needs, and they were looking for a foster family for Adonis,” Cecelia said.
“I was a little nervous at first just due to his condition. The moment I went over there and saw him. I absolutely fell in love,” Kyle said.
That love led to the family fostering Adonis when he was seven months old and adopting him last summer. Before then, the Perkins say he endured the kind of abuse that almost killed him.
“When Adonis was eight weeks old, he was suffocated, drowned, and dropped on his head by his birth mother and was admitted to the hospital,” Cecilia said. “He went to cardiac arrest three times on the way to Le Bonheur and they brought him back.”
The Perkins say the EMTs and Le Bonheur saved his life.
“That was for basically he was dead. When they arrived on the scene he was dead. Then the EMTs brought him back and took him immediately to Le Bonheur because of the head trauma, the drowning, everything that had happened to him,”
But his challenges were far from over. Adonis would have a complex combination of medical conditions, including cerebral palsy and a traumatic brain injury sustained as an infant, and the need for a gastronomy or G-tube because he cannot swallow.
“We have to do g-tube feedings and he had cerebral palsy. He can’t walk. he’s in a wheelchair. he has dystonia. His body is very stiff, and he arches back a lot,” Kyle said. “So, his body has been a lot.”
During Adonis’ almost countless visits to Le Bonheur, his specialists and therapists have always been there for him.
“I think Le Bonheur is directly related to the progress that he’s made. Without Le Bonheur, I don’t think would still be alive today to be quite honest with you,” Kyle said.
Today, Adonis is thriving.
“He’s learning to crawl, roll over and he’s a fighter. He’s not going to just lay down and not do anything,” Cecilla said.
His brother and sisters adore him.
“They accepted him from day one and our youngest daughter, Hattie, that’s her best bud. She’s always holding his hand. She’s always rolling on the floor with him. They just get along really great,” Kyle said. “And he just fits with us perfectly.”
A family’s perfect fit for a little boy named Adonis
“People say he’s so lucky for yall to have taken him, but we’re the blessed ones cause God chose us to be his parents and how lucky are we that this happened the way it did. You wonder can I love this child like my own, absolutely. Sometimes, he’s, my favorite,” Cecilla said.
Their favorite hospital is the one with the giant heart that saved Adonis’s life.
“The people who work at Le Bonheur don’t have to call and check on him. That’s not in their job description, right? But they do. They take that extra time to see how he’s doing and how he’s progressing,” Kyle said.
“They gave us our little boy and they still play such a huge role in our son’s life. We see them several times a week and they’re helping him grow and change and they’re finding new surgeries and treatments to help him live his best life,” Cecilia said.
