Betsy Emanuel's adoption album
Betsy Emanuel is a mother of eight children, five of whom are adopted.
The Emanuel family
Betsy, and her husband Leslie, have five adopted and three biological children.
Sue Hedberg
In 2006, Betsy became a client of Sue Hedberg and Celebrate Children International (CCI) when she saw the picture of a little Guatemalan girl named Maria Fernanda on an adoption website.
Maria Fernanda
CCI sent Betsy Emanuel a video of Maria Fernanda, pictured here with Sue Hedberg in 2006.
Ana Christina
Shortly after Betsy Emanuel began the adoption process for Maria Fernanda, Sue Hedberg upped the ante, revealing in an email that the Guatemalan girl had a newborn sister named Ana Christina. But only three months later, CCI delivered Betsy devastating news: both girls had disappeared, taken back CCI told her, by their biological mother who was accompanied by two men with guns.
Digging deeper
In November 2007, Betsy Emanuel adopted another girl through CCI, Emily Belle, but she couldn't forget about Maria Fernanda. Around the same time, Betsy learned Maria Fernanda and her sister had resurfaced and were being offered for adoption again, though not through CCI. Digging deeper, Emanuel found an article in a Guatemalan newspaper which reported the girls had been stolen from their birth mother, Mildred Alvarado.
Meeting Maria Fernanda
Betsy got in touch with a Guatemalan human rights group, forwarding all the information she had. Within weeks, a local court reunited both girls with their mother. And five years later, Betsy was finally able to meet Mildred Alvarado, right, and her two girls, Maria Fernanda and Ana Christina.
Sightseeing in Guatemala
For two bittersweet days, time passes much too quickly. Sightseeing, swimming and a simple meal bring Betsy Emanuel face to face with what might have been.
Betsy Emanuel and the girls
Betsy Emanuel with the Alvarado sisters; Maria Fernanda, left, and Ana Christina.