THE JOURNEY OF VAUGHN: A Life Changing Adoption Story
The increasing trend of children with Down syndrome or other disabilities being abandoned, terminated before birth, or given away is what initially drew the attention of RODS Heroes founder, Brady Murray. In 2007, Brady and his wife, Andrea, welcomed a child with Down syndrome into their family. Brady described the birth of his son as one of their most significant challenges in life, yet also one of their greatest blessings. They quickly grew to adore their child with Down syndrome and discovered that these children are incredibly loving and so much more than their diagnosis.
Fast forward to 2011, the Murrays learned through a Diane Sawyer special about a child with Down syndrome being adopted from Ukraine. This special shed a spotlight on the alarming rates at which children with Down syndrome or other disabilities were being abandoned. The Murray’s knew they had to act.
RODS Heroes was created in 2012 with a mission to inspire families to answer the call to adopt children with Down syndrome or other unique circumstances. One of the first children the Murrays came across was a 5-year-old boy in Colombia named Vaughn. Vaughn had Down syndrome and an amazing sparkle in his eye that inspired the RODS Heroes team to quickly advocate for finding his forever family.
The race began. The team diligently started working to shed light on Vaughn and find him a family that would not only welcome him but also help him flourish. Along with searching for Vaughn’s family, the team also raised funds for his adoption, as international adoption costs can be as high as $45,000. Despite their best efforts, there were no inquiries about Vaughn, and the team began to lose hope in finding his family. Little did they know, a 7-year-old girl would be the reason everything would turn around for the better.
Brooklyn McKenzie was only 7 years old when she came across Vaughn’s story. Her nephew had recently been adopted from Russia through RODS Heroes, and she had raised money for his adoption by selling her mother’s homemade jam. After her success with fundraising for her nephew, she decided to save money for a family trip to Disneyland by continuing to sell jam. However, everything changed when she learned about Vaughn. Brooklyn selflessly shifted her focus from saving for Disneyland to raising funds for Vaughn, stating,
“I felt like Vaughn needed a family more than I needed to go to Disneyland,”
when interviewed by the local news station.
RODS Heroes were less than $500 away from their $15, 000 goal for Vaughn’s adoption when Brooklyn brought $562 to the table, completing the goal. Thanks to her selfless act, we were able to garner media attention to further raise awareness about Vaughn and his need for a family. It seemed like the miracle we all needed.
Days turned into weeks, weeks into months, and months into years, and the RODS Heroes team quickly began to lose hope of finding Vaughn’s forever family. Despite diminishing hope, our determination and tenacity to continue working for Vaughn persisted. At the age of 16, children age out of the adoption process and are no longer eligible for adoption. Once they age out, children with disabilities live the remainder of their lives in an institution and will never experience the love of a family. RODS Heroes knew finding Vaughn a family was still the only option.
A member of the team found a video of Vaughn sent in by his foster mother at the time. It was a super grainy, unclear video of Vaughn playing with blocks, but it was our last hope to share his light. The video was placed to music and displayed on the RODS Heroes social media channels. Within two weeks, the miracle we had been praying for was answered. A family in Colorado answered the call to adopt Vaughn.
Melanie Janus, Vaughn’s new mother, described seeing the video of Vaughn for the first time, saying, “I knew it was my boy, I knew right away.” Vaughn was brought home within the next year and instantly fit in with his new family. The Janus family already had another son with Down syndrome close in age to Vaughn, and the two boys had an instant bond.
The RODS Heroes team was overjoyed to share with Brooklyn, who is now 18, that Vaughn had been adopted. The Janus family expressed to us that his adoption would not have been possible without the donations from many selfless people, including Brooklyn. Brooklyn, a senior in high school, had still never been to Disneyland. The RODS Heroes team knew we had to do something more for both Brooklyn and Vaughn.
On March 17, 2024, the RODS Heroes team organized a meeting between Brooklyn and Vaughn. Both families under the impression that it was a moment for the two teens to meet and witness what their good works had brought forth. The Murray’s and RODS Heroes had an ever better idea. Thanks to an amazing donor who heard the story of Brooklyn and Vaughn, we were able to surprise the teens and their families with a trip to Disneyland.
It’s not often that we are able to meet the children RODS Heroes advocates for, let alone have an experience like this to be able to give back to the sweet people that have touched the lives of the children who needed it the most. Thanks to Vaughn’s adoption, the country of Colombia, where Vaughn was adopted from, entrusted RODS Heroes to advocate for even more children after seeing the success of Vaughn’s story.
RODS Heroes has brought home over two dozen children to their forever families and currently has 139 children being advocated for through our efforts. RODS Heroes recognizes the blessings and miracles that have occurred through Vaughn’s story. While we wish Vaughn had found his family sooner than the decade it took, we believe his story unfolded as it was meant to.
We will continue working to inspire even more families to answer the call to adopt children with Down syndrome or other unique circumstances. Every child deserves a family, an environment to thrive in, and a life full of love.
WATCH VAUGHN’S INCREDIBLE JOURNEY
Subscribe to the RODS Heroes YouTube Channel to see more stories like Vaughn’s
