Preparing for a deployment is a lengthy, time-consuming process, but one Fort Carson Soldier took on the added burden of navigating the legal system to add a seventh child to his family.
Sgt. 1st Class Edward Martin, military police, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, currently deployed to Kandahar province, Afghanistan, and his wife, Karyn Martin, residing in Leavenworth, Kan., have opened their home as foster parents. They have taken in many displaced children over the last four years, but one child stole their hearts and has changed their lives forever.
“We have had Connor since he was released from the hospital at 2 months of age. He was premature, so he had a rough start,” Karyn Martin said. “We have cared and loved him like he was ours to begin with, and once Connor’s parents lost their parental rights — a process that took nearly two years — we started the adoption process as soon as we could.”
“As Connor has gotten older we have learned he has medical problems such as a lung disease, speech problems, epilepsy and a sleeping disorder that we deal with daily,” Karyn Martin said. “None of that stops him from being a happy little boy who is very easy to love. He’s nearly 3 now and although he deals with these illnesses, he still smiles all the time. He is the most amazing little boy.”
