Former orphanage buddies reunited in North Texas

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An unlikely reunion between two pre-schoolers is capturing the hearts of thousands.

The video shows the first time the two former orphanage buddies were reunited through adoption at DFW Airport. It was the first time they'd seen each other in a year.

They're only 3 and 4 years old, Hannah and Dawson know the power of friendship.

Both of them were abandoned by their parents in China. Hannah was abandoned because of her cleft lip, Dawson was abandoned because of a condition that causes fluid to his brain.

But the two found each other in an orphanage and became inseparable.

When Sharon Sykes and her Lewisville family went to China to adopt Hannah, they met her little friend Dawson, who Hannah calls Dada

“When we toured the orphanage and I saw their response to each other, I thought, ‘Oh my gosh. We can't leave this boy in China,’” said Sykes.

While still in China, Sykes posted Dawson's picture on Facebook, hoping someone in North Texas could give him a home to be loved in too.

Less than 24 hours later, Chris and Amy Clary came into the equation. They were not looking to adopt, but then Amy ran into some friends at Chick-Fil-A.

“They showed her the picture on Facebook and said you should adopt him,” explained Sykes.

The Clarys already had a home to three kids under 3, Instead of saying they couldn’t, the couple decided they could.

“Now with Dada, we have a 1, 2, 3, and 4-year old,” said Amy.

Despite a lot of reservations along the way, the Clarys went through with the adoption. The year-long process finally came to a conclusion last week.

Hannah and Dawson were only 2 and 3 years old when they last saw each other. Their reunion was a lesson that friendship can start at the earliest of ages.

Both families attend Prestonwood Baptist Church and believe God made sure the two could be together again.

“I felt like it was God saying, ‘See! You did it! I told you that you could do it,” said Sykes.

According to adoption organizations, there are 140 million children worldwide in need of homes and 500,000 of them are in the U.S.

 

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