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CNN Live Event/Special

Interview With Couple Waiting to Adopt Daughter from China

Aired May 17, 2003 - 19:29   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Joe Kinard and Jamie Milen (ph) were planning to go to China next month to get their adapted daughter Macy.
They join us from Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Good evening.

Thanks for joining us.

JOE KINARD, WANTS TO ADOPT CHINESE BABY: Hi, Daryn.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi. Thanks.

KAGAN: As I understand it, tomorrow is a really big day for you guys. You have a meeting where you're going to find out do you go or don't you go.

KINARD: We think it's a go. We think we've been grandfathered in, but we're not sure. Things change almost on a daily basis. So we're keeping our fingers crossed.

KAGAN: So tell me about this meeting tomorrow and who tells you whether you go or you don't go?

KINARD: Our agency has us together to come up with a consensus of what we want to do. Do we want to try to go early or wait on the original schedule? So that's where we are at this point, just, we still don't quite know yet.

KAGAN: Well, what we do know is there is a darling beautiful daughter waiting for you in China. So tell us a little bit about what you know. This is her picture, I believe. This is Macy. Tell us what you know about your daughter.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, we know she's about nine months old. She was born July 22nd, so I sincerely hope that we can have her home for her first birthday. And I think she's healthy. She's 19 pounds, 27 inches. So, you know, I think she's a very healthy baby and we just want to get her here.

KAGAN: I understand that. Any prospective parent would understand that. For folks who don't understand how this process works, this has been about two years in the making just to get to this point where you're about to launch and go get your daughter, is that right? KINARD: That's right.

KAGAN: So it's...

KINARD: The paper...

KAGAN: Go ahead.

KINARD: The paper chase is about two years long from the time you start the process.

KAGAN: So two years, you're finally going to become parents and then here comes this thing called SARS putting a big obstacle course in between you and holding your daughter for the first time.

How frustrating is that?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You know, it can be a roller coaster. I think, you know, up until yesterday, we had a lot of confidence in the agency and a lot of confidence that things were going to proceed as planned. And yesterday the, China had announced that there was some of the changes and they were stopping the adoption process. And that's the first point I think that we felt that there was some risk at not being able to go.

So, we would like to go as soon as possible just to ensure that there's no other changes about it.

KAGAN: Well, speaking of risk, this is a very real situation and there is a risk in traveling to China.

Do you have any fears about that?

KINARD: My greatest fear is being quarantined in China.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, that's true.

KINARD: I don't know what that would entail. If either one of us or the baby being quarantined there would be, to me, very hard. But, you know, we just don't know. There's so many unknowns. We just don't know yet.

KAGAN: So you'll get your information tomorrow but -- KINARD: Hopefully.

KAGAN: ... the bottom line is you guys are ready to be parents.

KINARD: We're going. We're going.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We are ready.

KAGAN: You're going.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We are ready.

KAGAN: And Macy is waiting for you over there. KINARD: She needs her parents, I feel like.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

KINARD: We, we're in love with a photograph. We want to see her in person.

KAGAN: Oh, I bet. And I can only imagine what it'll feel like the first time you get to hold your daughter.

KINARD: Thanks, Daryn.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

KAGAN: We wish you well going through the whole process, with the obstacles and with the travel and bringing your daughter home safely here to the United States.

KINARD: Thank you. Thank you so much.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you so much.

KAGAN: Thank you so much.

Joe Kinard and Jamie Milen.

They're going to be parents. They're going to get there. They've just kind of run into an obstacle so far.

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Aired May 17, 2003 - 19:29   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Joe Kinard and Jamie Milen (ph) were planning to go to China next month to get their adapted daughter Macy.
They join us from Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Good evening.

Thanks for joining us.

JOE KINARD, WANTS TO ADOPT CHINESE BABY: Hi, Daryn.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi. Thanks.

KAGAN: As I understand it, tomorrow is a really big day for you guys. You have a meeting where you're going to find out do you go or don't you go.

KINARD: We think it's a go. We think we've been grandfathered in, but we're not sure. Things change almost on a daily basis. So we're keeping our fingers crossed.

KAGAN: So tell me about this meeting tomorrow and who tells you whether you go or you don't go?

KINARD: Our agency has us together to come up with a consensus of what we want to do. Do we want to try to go early or wait on the original schedule? So that's where we are at this point, just, we still don't quite know yet.

KAGAN: Well, what we do know is there is a darling beautiful daughter waiting for you in China. So tell us a little bit about what you know. This is her picture, I believe. This is Macy. Tell us what you know about your daughter.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, we know she's about nine months old. She was born July 22nd, so I sincerely hope that we can have her home for her first birthday. And I think she's healthy. She's 19 pounds, 27 inches. So, you know, I think she's a very healthy baby and we just want to get her here.

KAGAN: I understand that. Any prospective parent would understand that. For folks who don't understand how this process works, this has been about two years in the making just to get to this point where you're about to launch and go get your daughter, is that right? KINARD: That's right.

KAGAN: So it's...

KINARD: The paper...

KAGAN: Go ahead.

KINARD: The paper chase is about two years long from the time you start the process.

KAGAN: So two years, you're finally going to become parents and then here comes this thing called SARS putting a big obstacle course in between you and holding your daughter for the first time.

How frustrating is that?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You know, it can be a roller coaster. I think, you know, up until yesterday, we had a lot of confidence in the agency and a lot of confidence that things were going to proceed as planned. And yesterday the, China had announced that there was some of the changes and they were stopping the adoption process. And that's the first point I think that we felt that there was some risk at not being able to go.

So, we would like to go as soon as possible just to ensure that there's no other changes about it.

KAGAN: Well, speaking of risk, this is a very real situation and there is a risk in traveling to China.

Do you have any fears about that?

KINARD: My greatest fear is being quarantined in China.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, that's true.

KINARD: I don't know what that would entail. If either one of us or the baby being quarantined there would be, to me, very hard. But, you know, we just don't know. There's so many unknowns. We just don't know yet.

KAGAN: So you'll get your information tomorrow but -- KINARD: Hopefully.

KAGAN: ... the bottom line is you guys are ready to be parents.

KINARD: We're going. We're going.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We are ready.

KAGAN: You're going.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We are ready.

KAGAN: And Macy is waiting for you over there. KINARD: She needs her parents, I feel like.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

KINARD: We, we're in love with a photograph. We want to see her in person.

KAGAN: Oh, I bet. And I can only imagine what it'll feel like the first time you get to hold your daughter.

KINARD: Thanks, Daryn.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

KAGAN: We wish you well going through the whole process, with the obstacles and with the travel and bringing your daughter home safely here to the United States.

KINARD: Thank you. Thank you so much.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you so much.

KAGAN: Thank you so much.

Joe Kinard and Jamie Milen.

They're going to be parents. They're going to get there. They've just kind of run into an obstacle so far.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com





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