European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - January 26, 1981, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 20 the stars and stripes january 1981 modern living adopting a handicapped child by Martha Bryson Model associated press Joreen and Darrell Matheny of Sisson dont think of themselves As special but they agree they Learned a special lesson in love with the adoption of their younger Eric has cerebral at 5 years of Hes just Learned to sit up by and potty training is just whats the Matheny dont know whether Eric will be Able to care for himself when Hes a handicapped child takes just the same knowledge and love that a Normal child but you have to learn to accept that child for what he and if he cant then he cant says her earns a comfortable living driving a tractor trailer but without assistance from the West Virginia state welfare they say they probably would not have been Able to adopt whose medical expenses Are the Matheny Are among the first families to participate in a subsidized adoption program approved in 1979 by the West Virginia unable to have children of their the Matheny started their family 10 years ago with the adoption of an Darrell five years they decided to add to their there just we rent any babies to Matheny his wife urged him to consider Foster he was but eventually gave but we didst want any handicapped children in by Erma Bomback i have been saying hello and goodbye for Over 40 years and i still dont have the hang of no matter How hard i i still cant anticipate who Are the the the or the every time i think in saying hello to a Hes invariably a Hugger and i end up a with my arms stiff at my Side looking like a Mummy that has just fallen out of its or b taking a giant step Forward and standing on both of his on the other if Hes a Kisser and i think Hes a i end up with my hand in his Ive observed lot of hellos and goodbyes and for sheer no one kisses hello better adopted son who has cerebral with parents Joreen we made them put Down on the paper that we  take a handicapped Matheny we we rent worried about whether we could accept or love a handicapped but we were worried about whether we could take care of the first child the welfare department asked the Matheny to consider was 5monthoid born a nor healthy Eric developed cerebral palsy As the result of brain damage caused by malnutrition in his first the Matheny at five he weighed Only four ounces More than he did at when they showed us Eric we didst say a word to them or each we just got his things and took him Matheny in subsequent the Matheny took in eight More Foster most of them Only stayed a or two or a she but we thought it was a Good idea to get used to the idea of them coming and going we were afraid they were going to take Eric adopting Eric meant Many trips to up children have less resistance to childhood Dis colds and so says so you spend a lot of time at the family Eric also has problems with his As Many up children then there Are the expenses for the orthopaedic the leg the wheel chair and things like the Matheny got medical insurance for Al though the company will not pay any expenses that Are a direct result of the cerebral the states subsidized adoption program will provide erics a related expenses until he no longer needs the care or until Hes at which time he May be eligible for other Federal or state although the Matheny Are enthusiastic about the they say they have had some if she has a question on what is covered by the or to whom she should take Matheny it is difficult to get an answer from the welfare in she has had problems because the welfare departments medical card int accepted by some phys that problem has Arisen More than when they disagreed with treatment proposed by a welfare approved for we could find Only two dentists in Charleston who would work with handicapped children like Matheny one of them  accept the welfare departments medical and the other  use any who would you take your child to the result is that she and her husband must pay a lot of erics medical expenses if he is to have the kind of care they think he but it All seems Worth the the first time he does something new its like Christmas and the whole family enjoys she the first time he got so he could pull the pots and pans out of the it was the greatest thing in the the second time it was a pain in the just like it would be with any other than show Biz on talk shows they swoop out from behind a Are surprised to see the Host whom they just saw 15 seconds and go for the left they sometimes stand on tiptoes and raise one foot off the there is never any confrontation of no earrings catching in his hair or Fountain pens puncturing inflated parts of your if the guest has known the Host for Over an they touch being careful not to smudge the gloss or leave a Trace on the the kiss has All the warmth and passion of blotting excess lipstick on toilet but it looks for sheer pucker Power no one compares with Richard on his game family i clocked him on one 30minute show and he dispensed a total of 23 one thing i discovered is that when youre tense about winning you kiss with your eyes the prize for the most awkward greeting kiss has to go to the Catholic Church kiss o during the More progressive you Are asked to turn to the person standing next to you and extend to him a wish for peace and a its like a religious Blind the problem is we Are expecting to do now what our mothers used to say wed go Blind for if we we rent touching with affection now is an acceptable part of our we All stumble through it but i was secretly impressed the other night when i saw a woman leaving a the Host reached out to kiss her and she i have a he reached out to hug her and she i have a bad when he reached out to shake her she too Many when he waved she i have a jealous then she turned and but write me now that c Field enterprises