Hello, we are Gabriel and Sarah Hahn. We knew before we married that we desired adoption to be a part of how we built our family. After the birth of our fourth biological child, we entered the world of adoption. Over the last seven years, we have been humbled to have been chosen on three separate occasions to adopt little ones. Our son, Luke, came home to us in 2018 and with him, we joined the PWS family! Luke is into all things mechanical and loves cars, trucks, and tractors. He became a big brother in 2020 with the birth of our youngest son, and is thrilled to have a little partner in crime around the house.
We became familiar with PWSA | USA just before bringing Luke home. We utilized the website as a diving off point for researching and educating ourselves and our community of family and friends. We attended the PWSA National Conference during Luke’s first year and have immense gratitude for the friendships made that weekend with other parents who are navigating the PWS world alongside us. The friendships we have made through the PWS community have been one of life’s greatest surprises and blessings!
We are most grateful for the open adoption we have with Luke’s first family. Knowing the immense love that his first parents have for him and being able to celebrate his milestones together brings so much joy all around. Open adoption is hard and heavy, complex, and filled with so many emotions; however, at the center of it all is the love of a child that unites us. How honored we are to have the privilege of loving our Lukey Bear every day!
Share this!
Jennifer Bolander has been serving as a Special Education Specialist for PWSA (USA) since October of 2015. She is a graduate of John Carroll University and lives in Ohio with her husband Brad and daughters Kate (17), and Sophia (13) who was born with PWS.
Perry A. Zirkel has written more than 1,500 publications on various aspects of school law, with an emphasis on legal issues in special education. He writes a regular column for NAESP’s Principal magazine and NASP’s Communiqué newsletter, and he did so previously for Phi Delta Kappan and Teaching Exceptional Children.
Evan has worked with the Prader-Willi Syndrome Association (USA) since 2007 primarily as a Crisis Intervention and Family Support Counselor. Evans works with parents and schools to foster strong collaborative relationships and appropriate educational environments for students with PWS.
Dr. Amy McTighe is the PWS Program Manager and Inpatient Teacher at the Center for Prader-Willi Syndrome at the Children’s Institute of Pittsburgh. She graduated from Duquesne University receiving her Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Education with a focus on elementary education, special education, and language arts.
Staci Zimmerman works for Prader-Willi Syndrome Association of Colorado as an Individualized Education Program (IEP) consultant. Staci collaborates with the PWS multi-disciplinary clinic at the Children’s Hospital in Denver supporting families and school districts around the United States with their child’s Individual Educational Plan.
Founded in 2001, SDLC is a non-profit legal services organization dedicated to protecting and advancing the legal rights of people with disabilities throughout the South. It partners with the Southern Poverty Law Center, Protection and Advocacy (P&A) programs, Legal Services Corporations (LSC) and disability organizations on major, systemic disability rights issues involving the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and the federal Medicaid Act. Recently in November 2014, Jim retired.