By Mary Frances McCarthy
Herald Staff Writer
(From the issue of 1/6/05)

She is full of smiles and giggles — as long as she is near her mother. Turning her head from side to side with her bright eyes shining, 11-year-old Rekha is the happiest child on earth.

Ann Pollak made her first trip to India to work with Mother Teresa and the Missionaries of Charity in August 1995. For two weeks she volunteered in orphanages and children’s homes in the Howrah district.

Ann said the first week she spent a lot of time crying because she was so moved and overwhelmed by the poverty and misery.

"They don’t have a lot of material goods," she said. "But once you get past that, you look at the people more for what they are."

Not all of the children in the homes she worked in were orphans. Some of them lived there for a few years because their families could not afford to raise them, but then went back to their homes to live.

One of the places Ann worked was the Shisha Bhavan, a home for the handicapped.

"I’d never worked with the handicapped," she said. "I was frightened, intimidated."

Many of the children in the home were immobile and couldn’t feed themselves.

When she left India, Ann was sure she would never return. But by the time her plane landed in London, "I swore I was going back."

Since then she has made about 20 trips to Calcutta.

When she returned in 1997, she met a 4-year-old blind girl who was also unable to speak. Ann was immediately taken by the girl and her buck-toothed smile. On her next trip, she went back and looked for the little girl again.

In 1998, she visited the girl and hired a woman to take care of her. The next year she spent a month in India interviewing doctors and specialists to care for the girl and looked for a home for her.

Ann said many prayers to St. Rita, the patroness of mothers and impossible causes.

But nothing seemed to work. She couldn’t find the girl a family. She went back to Italy and prayed for 10 days before she called the nun in charge of adoptions and asked to adopt Rekha.

The nuns at the orphanage found Rekha’s baptismal certificate, and Ann was pleasantly surprised to discover Rekha’s middle name, her baptismal name, was Rita.

On Dec. 15, 2000, Ann and Rekha flew around the world to get to Chicago where Ann’s family was living. It was an awful experience. Rekha threw fits and tantrums as she felt and experienced a million new sensations — from flying in a plane and riding escalators to hearing things like a flushing toilet, a shower running and a television.

On the plane, the stewards asked if there was a doctor on board to help take care of this child that was experiencing sensory overload and throwing tantrums. Ann and Rekha visited a doctor during a stop in Hong Kong who suggested Rekha be hospitalized, but mother and daughter were scheduled to get on a plane to Chicago that night.

Their troubles were far from over. While still in the United States, Ann applied for Rekha to get a visa to live with her in Italy, but was told that the adoption would have to be finalized first. However the adoption could not be finalized until Rekha lived in Italy for six months.

Ann contacted the Sisters of Charity in Chicago and spoke to an Indian nun who told her God would take care of her. She told her to pray the Memorare nine times before meeting with the attorney.

Ann called her mother who recited the prayer while she and Rekha listened on their knees. Seventeen days later they left for Italy.

Once they were home in Italy, Rekha’s fits continued for about eight months until she became accustomed to her surroundings.

Because Ann is a freelance translator, she has the flexibility to be home more often with her daughter.

Rekha attends a private Catholic school in Italy. There are no separate schools for children with special needs in Italy, but Rekha does have a personalized tutor. Next year she will receive her first holy Communion.

Ann hired a woman to help her at home, and was surprised to find out that her father had been blind. She was a blessing to the small family.

Ann said her experience as a mother of a handicapped child has taught her patience.

"I’ve never been a mother in my life, let alone take care of a handicapped child having a meltdown," Ann said.

But if she had the chance to do it all over again, the only thing she thinks she would have done differently is that she would have adopted two children instead of just one.

"Nobody wants the special children," she said. She hopes to adopt another child with special needs.

"It has been such a blessing to me," Ann said. "I think taking a handicapped child — it’s like having an angel next to you at all times."