Over the past 30 years, Claire and Warren have had more than 70 foster children.  Nearly all of them have had significant disabilities.  Most of the children are — or have been —  patients at Gillette Children’s Specialty Healthcare. 

Mark (left) and Lucas (right), both 14, are among the young people who call Claire and Warren’s house home.

Mark’s Story
Mark was born with spina bifida.  The condition occurs during the earliest stages of pregnancy, causing abnormal development of the spine.

When Mark was a baby, a Jamaican police officer found him in garbage dumpster.  The police officer took the child to an orphanage, where the staff named the little boy Mark, in honor of the man who rescued him.

While traveling on a mission trip to Jamaica, Claire and Warren met Mark.  The little boy was 5 years old and weighed 30 pounds.  “When we first visited the orphanage, Mark watched us feed the other children,” Claire recalls.  “He had nothing.  But we looked over and he was feeding another child from his own bowl.”  Claire and Warren brought Mark home and adopted him.

Lucas’ Story
In 1999, Lucas and his two sisters and their mother were in a car accident.  Lucas’ mother died.  Although none of the children was expected to live, remarkably, they all survived.  Lucas sustained brain and spinal cord injuries. Claire and Warren have physical custody of Lucas.

A Brotherly Bond
Lucas and Mark see Stephen Sundberg, M.D., an orthopaedic surgeon at Gillette. Both boys use wheelchairs.  Mark also has learned to walk.  “I can’t tell you how grateful we are to have such an amazing medical facility in Minnesota,” says Claire.

Lucas and Mark purchased athletic wheelchairs with help from Gillette Children’s Foundation.  The sports chairs enable the boys to play for the Minnesota Junior Rolling Timberwolves wheelchair basketball team.  “From the moment we saw Mark, we knew that he was determined to make something of himself,” says Claire. 

Claire adds that Lucas and Mark truly are brothers.  “They’re also friends who encourage and motivate one another — on and off the court,” she says.

Listen to Lucas' and Mark's Story Here

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