JiaJia, Chinese boy with spina bifida, on his way to KC with new family

Jeri and Brian Wilson of Grain Valley felt called by God to adopt JiaJia, a 9-year-old boy in an orphanage in China who, because of spina bifida, dragged his legs behind him.

Friday night, the Wilsons are scheduled to arrive on a connecting flight from Chicago to Kansas City International Airport with their new son, whose name is pronounced Zsa Zsa.

The Wilsons, whose story was reported in August by The Kansas City Star, began raising the approximately $30,000 they believed was needed to adopt JiaJia, as well as to refit their Grain Valley home to accommodate the child’s disability,

A CNN piece on China’s disabled orphans featured JiaJia and the Wilsons. After the television piece, the family received an outpouring of financial support. The couple, who already have three adult daughters, began their fund-raising effort last February.

Once they felt called to adopt JiaJia, the Wilsons said last summer, the fact of his disability became no factor whatsoever.

“It wasn’t difficult,” Jeri Wilson said of the decision. “His (JiaJia’s) special needs were not a reason not to adopt. God loves us, special needs or not.”

This story was originally published January 22, 2016 at 12:46 PM with the headline "JiaJia, Chinese boy with spina bifida, on his way to KC with new family."