A LOT CAN HAPPEN IN SEVEN MONTHS
TIME ... BUT ONE 10-YEAR-OLD HAS
DONE MORE SINCE JULY THAN MANY
PEOPLE DO IN A LIFETIME.
SHE HAS MOVED THOUSANDS OF MILES
TO LIVE IN ANOTHER COUNTRY
... LEARNED A NEW LANGUAGE ...
SEEN
SNOW AND GONE TO PUBLIC SCHOOL
FOR
THE FIRST TIME.
IT'S AN ADOPTION STORY MARKED
WITH YEARS OF PAINFUL WAITING
...
BUT NOW WITH MAKING UP FOR LOST
TIME.
WSLS 10'S BETHANY TEAGUE JOINS
US
NOW IN THE STUDIO WITH MORE.
BETHANY..
TOM AND WHITNEY BLASZAK OF
CHRISTIANSBURG WENT TO ETHIOPIA
ON A MISSION'S TRIP IN 20-12 ..
NOT EVEN
THINKING AT ALL ABOUT ADOPTION.
A LITTLE 6-YEAR-OLD GIRL CRAWLED
INTO
THEIR LAPS AND BEGAN TO SING
WITH THEM.
SHE FOLLOWED THEM EVERYWHERE
... AND WHEN IT WAS TIME FOR
THEM TO
RETURN TO AMERICA ... SHE BEGGED
THEM TO COME BACK.
IT WAS THEN THEY KNEW ... THIS
GIRL
WAS MEANT TO BE A PART OF THEIR
FAMILY.
THAT SPARKED A SEEMINGLY
ENDLESS BATTLE TO BRING HER
HOME.
LITTLE DID THEY KNOW ... ONCE
THEY
FINALLY REALIZED THEIR DREAMS OF
GETTING HER ... THEIR JOURNEY
WAS ONLY GETTING STARTED.
NATS SINGING
WHITNEY BLASZAK,
ADOPTING MOM - "LIFE HAS GOTTEN
A LOT BUSIER, A LOT MORE
VIBRANT, A LOT MORE FUN." THE
CONTAGIOUS LAUGHTER..
NATS SLEDDING
THE DAILY RHYTHM OF SISTERS
BONDING..
NATS SISTERS
WHITNEY BLASZAK, ADOPTING MOM -
"SHE JUST HAS A
ZEAL FOR LIFE."
AND OF COURSE.. THE FREQUENT
SOLO.
NATS SINGING
THESE ARE ALL NEW SOUNDS THAT
REMIND THE BLASZAK FAMILY
OF ITS NEWEST MEMBER.. ONE THEY
THOUGHT MAY NEVER COME
HOME.
WHITNEY BLASZAK,
ADOPTING MOM - "IT'S JUST
SURREAL. I JUST, I'M BAFFLED BY
IT
THAT SHE'S THERE AND HERE, AND
THAT THIS IS ACTUALLY REAL.'
TOM AND WHITNEY BLASZAK.. ALONG
WITH THEIR THREE DAUGHTERS
SYDNEY.. KK.. AND TAYLOR..
FOUGHT
LIES.. INTERNATIONAL
CORRUPTION.. AND GOVERNMENT
RED TAPE FOR MORE THAN FOUR
YEARS TO ADOPT THIS GIRL FROM
ETHIOPIA.. WHO'S NAME AT THE
TIME.. WAS TIGIST.
WHITNEY BLASZAK, ADOPTING MOM -
"IT WAS LIKE WE HAD A DAUGHTER
IN AFRICA, AND WE WERE HERE, AND
WE COULDN'T GET TO HER."
DURING THE WAITING PERIOD.. THEY
WEREN'T ALLOWED TO USE
HER REAL NAME. SO THEY CALLED
HER HOPE.. SOMETHING THEY
NEVER GAVE UP.. NO MATTER HOW
SLIM THEIR CHANCES OF
ADOPTION SEEMED. WHITNEY
BLASZAK,
ADOPTING MOM - "THAT FEELING
NEVER LEFT. SHE WAS OURS, FROM
THE DAY WE MET HER." WHITNEY
CHRONICLED THEIR OFTEN PAINFUL
JOURNEY ON A BLOG CALLED
RELENTLESS LOVE. FINALLY.. IN
JULY OF 2016.. AS AN ALMOST TEN
YEAR OLD.. TIGIST
CAME HOME.
NATS OF AIRPORT
IT SEEMED LIKE THE PERFECT
ENDING TO THE STRUGGLE OF A
LIFETIME TO MAKE THEIR FAMILY
COMPLETE. TIGIST BECAME TIGIST
SOPHIA HOPE BLASZAK. SHE
DECIDED SHE WANTED TO GO BY HER
NEW MIDDLE NAME.. AND/OR
NICKNAMES.. TO START HER NEW
LIFE.
SOPHIA BLASZAK, ADOPTED -
"SOPHIA, SOFI, FIFI, LIKE THAT."
BUT SOON AFTER ADRENALINE OF
BRINGING HOME A NEW DAUGHTER
BEGAN TO WEAR OFF..
WHITNEY BLASZAK, ADOPTING MOM -
"EVEN THOUGH WE
HAD KNOWN HER FOR FOUR YEARS, WE
DIDN'T KNOW HER KNOW HER.
WE DIDN'T KNOW THE INS AND
OUTS."
REAL LIFE ABRUPTLY SET IN.
SOPHIA HAD COME "HOME" TO A
COUNTRY AND A FAMILY WHOSE
LANGUAGE AND CULTURE WERE
ANYTHING BUT FAMILIAR. SOPHIA
BLASZAK, ADOPTED - "I TALK
JUST A LITTLE ENGLISH. IT WAS
HARD WHEN YOU COULDN'T TALK BACK
TO US, WASN'T IT?
YEA.
SOPHIA KNEW VIRTUALLY NO
ENGLISH.. MAKING EVERY MOMENT A
STRUGGLE FOR EVERYONE JUST TO
GET BY.
TOM BLASZAK, ADOPTING DAD -
"SHOWING HER ITEMS, CHARADES,
ACTING THINGS OUT. IT REALLY
WAS A LOT OF THAT. BUT IT WASN'T
AS FUN AS CHARADES. WHEN
YOU'RE PLAYING CHARADES, YOU'RE
PLAYING A GAME AND
COMPETING. THIS WAS LIKE, OH MY
GOSH, WHAT DO I DO HERE? THIS IS
SURVIVAL."
THE FOURTH SISTER'S NEW
PLACE IN THE FAMILY REQUIRED
CONSTANT WORK.. AND ALSO MEANT
A NEW PLACE FOR THE FIRST THREE
SISTERS. SYDNEY.. WHO FOR SIX
YEARS WAS THE FIRST BORN.. WAS
SUDDENLY NO LONGER THE
OLDEST.
WHITNEY BLASZAK,
ADOPTING MOM - "WE'RE PUTTING
ALL THIS EFFORT INTO SOPHIA, AND
I THINK THERE WAS A LITTLE
FEELING LEFT OUT, OR JUST LIKE
SHE DIDN'T GET ANY ATTENTION
ANYMORE."
THERE WAS ALSO THE MYSTERY OF
SOPHIA'S LIFE BEFORE THEM. TOM
AND WHITNEY KNEW SHE CAME
FROM A VILLAGE CALLED KORAH..
WHERE RESIDENTS LIVED
OFF OF A TRASH DUMP. BUT THEY
DIDN'T KNOW THE DEPTH OF HER
SCARS.. OR HOW HELPLESS THEY
WOULD FEEL AS PARENTS.. UNTIL
ONE NIGHT.. SHE BEGAN TO OPEN UP
ABOUT PRIVATE NIGHTMARES
FROM A PAST WITHOUT PARENTS.
WHITNEY BLASZAK, ADOPTING MOM -
"I WAS CRYING AND HOLDING HER
AND ROCKING
HER, AND TELLING HER I LOVED
HER,
AND I WAS SO SORRY FOR THE
THINGS THAT HAD HAPPENED BEFORE,
AND THERE WAS
NOTHING I COULD DO ABOUT IT. I
CAN'T FIX IT."
IT WAS TIMES LIKE THIS..WHERE
THE
TEARS NEVER SEEMED TO DRY.. THAT
THE BLASZAKS
RESOLVED TO LOVE SOPHIA AS
RELENTLESSLY AT HOME AS THEY HAD
WHEN SHE WAS AN OCEAN
AWAY.
WHITNEY BLASZAK, ADOPTING MOM -
"I CRIED MYSELF
TO SLEEP THAT NIGHT, AND WAS
BROKEN IN A NEW WAY. I FELT THIS
DEEP DESIRE TO BE HER MOM, AND
TO BE THAT LOVE THAT SHE DIDN'T
HAVE BEFORE."
FOR SOPHIA.. THAT FEELING IS
MUTUAL.
SOPHIA BLASZAK, ADOPTED - "I
LOVE
MOMMY AND DADDY." THE BOND AND
THE
PERSEVERANCE OPENED UP A WORLD
OF FIRSTS FOR SOPHIA..
FIRSTS THAT REMIND TOM AND
WHITNEY WHY THEY FOUGHT SO
HARD. LITTLE THINGS LIKE WAKING
UP TO A WINTER
WONDERLAND..
NATS SNOW REACTION
OR FINALLY GETTING A BIRTHDAY
PARTY..
SOPHIA BLASZAK, ADOPTED -
"PINATA
AND EAT CAKE. MY FAVORITE FOOD
IS
PIZZA, AND EVERYBODY COME."
AND EVEN PLAYING
BASKETBALL.
TOM BLASZAK, ADOPTING DAD -
"SHE THROWS IT UP, AND EVEN IF
IT'S AN AIR BALL, SHE COMES BACK
SMILING LIKE IT WAS THE GREATEST
THING."
THAT SPIRIT.. EVIDENCED BY AN
EVER PRESENT SMILE.. NOW FUELS
HER DREAM TO ONE DAY BECOME A
WORSHIP SINGER. SOPHIA BLASZAK,
ADOPTED - "SINGING IS LIKE
WORSHIP GOD,
AND I LIKE WORSHIP GOD." IT
DIDN'T TAKE LONG FOR THIS
JOY TO STEAL THE HEARTS OF
UNSURE SISTERS. SOPHIA AND SYD
LEANING ON EACH OTHER AT CHURCH
NATS SISTERS
AND THE HEARTS OF JUST ABOUT
EVERYONE SHE MEETS. VIDEO OF
HOLDING HANDS WITH TEACHER IN
CHURCH
WHITNEY BLASZAK,
ADOPTING MOM - "IT'S EASY TO
LOVE HER."
NATS SCHOOL
TOM BLASZAK, ADOPTING DAD -
"YOU'D THINK THAT GOING THROUGH
WHAT SHE'D GONE THROUGH, THAT
JOY WOULD BE TAKEN AWAY. BUT
LITERALLY, IT'S IN HER."
IT WAS A LOVE STORY THAT BEGAN
THOUSANDS OF
MILES APART.
WHITNEY BLASZAK, ADOPTING MOM -
"THERE'S NO WAY
SHE SHOULD BE HERE RIGHT NOW.
IT'S ALL ABOUT WHAT GOD HAS
DONE."
A RELENTLESS PURSUIT OF HOPE..
THAT BROUGHT SOPHIA HOPE TO
THEIR LIVING ROOM. AND
WHERE THE SEPARATION ENDED.. THE
REAL JOURNEY IS ONLY BEGINNING.
WHITNEY BLASZAK,
ADOPTING MOM - "PEOPLE SAY OH
SHE'S SO LUCKY TO HAVE YOU. I'M
LIKE NO, WE ARE LUCKY TO HAVE
HER."
SOPHIA IS NOW ENJOYING HER FIRST
PUBLIC SCHOOL
EXPERIENCE.. SHE TRIED SOCCER
BUT
SAYS BASKETBALL IS NOW HER
FAVORITE
SPORT. THE SISTERS ALL AGREE
THEIR
FAVORITE THINGS TO DO TOGETHER
ARE DRAWING.. SLEDDING IN THE
SNOW.. AND OF COURSE.. SINGING.
IN THE STUDIO BETHANY TEAGUE
WSLS 10.