Not all fun and games

I wanted to take this opportunity to let you all know about Teri’s surgery. She’s had back trouble and pain for quite sometime. Over the years she managed it with chiropractic care but her MRI revealed a herniated disk that was causing nerve damage. She is having a lumbar spinal fusion at the Texas Institute for Surgery at Presbyterian of Dallas. Her doctor is Dr. Desaloms
She checks in on Monday at 11 and her surgery is scheduled for 12. It will take about 3 hours and she will remain in the hospital for between 2 to 4 days. She will be on medical leave from work for 6 weeks going back on April 5th. During her recovery she will wear a back brace for 3 months and will use a bone stimulator for 9 months. This is what she'll look like for most of the next 6 weeks! She cannot:
drive for several weeks but can ride in a car
pick up heavy objects (like Vin)
load the dishwasher etc.

Vin is going to Mayme’s on Sunday afternoon and will stay through the week. Our friend, Jadi, is organizing some meals to be brought to us for the next few weeks so you may be getting an email to this effect.
We appreciate any prayers or good energy put into the Universe for us. We like and trust Teri’s doctor and hope for a full recovery and a pain free future.


So, while we on serious topics…


We’ve come to the end of the road on Vin’s adoption by Teri. Our lawyer has worked for a year and a half on our behalf but Judge Shannon refused to hear our case. She also refused to transfer it to another Judge. Same parent adoptions have been granted in Texas but the statue reads “spouse” which leaves room for interpretation. Had we had a different judge perhaps things would have been different.
After months of trying to work around and with the system our case was dismissed. There are other legal options possible but we’ve decided to let it rest for now. Here is the email Teri sent yesterday to our lawyer Karen Askew.


Hi, Karen,

We know you have exhausted your efforts and time for us and we deeply appreciate your efforts. When starting this process with you, I myself was naïve to the obstacles that we still face in today’s times.

We appreciate your perseverance for our family’s situation and understand when it’s time to take a step back and gain our composure. This has been a bit difficult to go through.

We think it’s time to take a break from this battle and let things calm down. We have always seemed a little ahead of the mainstream with what we do in our lives and this doesn’t seem to be the exception. Our little family is busy enough with itself to prolong this to no end. We will try again another time and continue with our life as we would regardless if we are recognized by our government. We are recognized by our family, friends, and peers for who we are - We are a family, we are the De Leon’s.

So please stop all legal proceedings you have going on in our behalf.

Teri, Kam and Vin De Leon