teamMarius

Hi friends! We apologize that it has been a while since you’ve heard from us. We’ve continued to work on custody issues for Marius but most of what we are doing now, moves along slowly and without a lot of fanfare.

We’re currently waiting on a few custody decisions to be finalized in the Romanian court system. We had a few surprises because we thought we were dealing with a few formalities but found we needed additional, more substantial documentation etc. Fortunately, we were recently put in touch with a Romanian attorney, Gabriela Barbu, through some of our Romanian friends here in the U.S. Gabriela has offered to take on Marius’ case pro bono, and has been critical in helping us understand the court proceedings in Romania and giving us peace of mind as we butt up against new requirements. We’re working to expedite the process as much as possible, but it will likely be another month before the custody issue is completely resolved and we can move on to the visa application.

In the meantime, our Romanian interpreter, Teo, has been spending the majority of her free time with Marius--bringing him food, taking him outside, and even taking him on trips to the store to get him clothes and sunglasses! Go to our website to see these awesome pictures! (http://www.teammarius.org/Gallery) Teo has been an indispensable part of the team, and all of us—particularly Marius—are so grateful for her energy and devotion to this boy we have grown to love so much.

Marius continues to get stronger by the day, eating more and more, sitting in a wheelchair, and even sometimes standing with support. He’s still looking forward to coming to America, but while he waits he is keeping up his spirits (and those of everyone around him) with his sense of humor and smile.

We’ve been overwhelmed by the support we’ve received and continue to receive, and we can’t thank you all enough for your help and thoughts and prayers on behalf of Marius.