Juliana, who suffers from a syndrome that prevents the bones from forming on her face, pushed her parents to adopt another little girl affected by the same disease, from an orphanage in Ukraine.

To many, Danica was a little girl with no future. A resident of an orphanage in Ukraine, suffering from severe Treacher-Collins syndrome, which causes a lack of bone in her face, she should have been thrown out on the street when she came of age, with nowhere else to go. Of all the little orphans, Danica thought she would never be chosen. But her life was turned upside down the day she met Thom and Tami Wetmore.

This American couple is the only one to have ever visited the little girl. “It was immediate. As soon as I saw her, I felt deep down that she was going to be our daughter,” Tami told “USA Today”.

If the Wetmores traveled the world to pick up little Danica six years ago, it was in part thanks to their other daughter, Juliana, now 12 years old. She also suffers from Treacher-Collins syndrome, but her case is more severe. She was born with only 40% of the bones in her face and a greater deafness than her sister. She was the one who gave her parents the strength to find a place in their hearts for Danica. She pushed them to take up this challenge, she who has had 45 facial surgeries. “No one had ever cared about her,” says Thom.

“She doesn’t judge anyone”

Juliana found her sister by chance, typing the name of her syndrome next to the word “adoption” on the Internet. She found a photo of Danica on the orphanage website. “Juliana is nothing but love. She loves everyone, doesn’t judge anyone. She doesn’t see anyone differently. For her, everyone is the same.”

Today, the two girls of the same age are closer than ever. Danica loves to “draw, paint, express herself”. Juliana, for her part, explains that she likes to “watch television, but especially to play with her sisters”. After Danica, the Wetmores adopted three more children, siblings, who also needed help and love. “Our daughter, Juliana, has changed and saved so many lives, because thanks to her, we have realized that we can be who we are.”