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Karen's story made headlines; hers was a terrible case of abuse, so severe she nearly died. Happily, though, her story didn't end there. She now has a new family who loves and cares for her.
As a police officer, Earl Rose has seen first-hand what children like Karen have been through. Although their family was not looking to expand, the Roses agreed to visit Karen in the hospital after talking to a case worker.
"We would go and visit her and the children would visit her. We just fell in love with her," Tifiny Rose said.
"And we knew that she was going to come to our home," Earl added.
Karen faced severe challenges and would end up having to spend another year and a half in the hospital. Doctors said she would be forever wheelchair-bound and would never speak or have the ability to eat. Even so, the Roses were not deterred.
"Bringing her into our home, it was about a week later and she had a taco, and she has not wanted to stop eating ever since then," Tifiny said.
Karen can now communicate using sign language, as well as speaking both English and Spanish. She loves school, reading, swimming and playing with the other kids. And, the entire family loves her.
"By bringing her into our home, it's made our children better. They've been able to help us take care of Karen, and it's made them a lot more responsible," Tifiny said. "It's just had a really positive impact on all of our children, our whole family."
