((PKG)  MICHIGAN FAMILY)   
((Banner:  Michigan Family Story)) 
((Reporter/Camera:  Ailin Li)) 
((Map:  Midland, Michigan))    
 
((NATS))  
((Katie Hurst, Mother))  
I think the world needs to see them.  I think the world needs 
to see that, yes, you function, and you function fine.  Being 
different is just that: it's different.  But it's okay to be different. 
((NATS))  
((Katie Hurst, Mother))  
My name is Katie Hurst and we have six children.  Three of 
them are biological children and three are from China that 
we've adopted.   
When I was seven years old, I read a book about China and 
it was called “These Are My People.”  It just made me fall in 
love with the culture of China.   
When my husband and I started dating, it was something 
that I knew I wanted to do was go to China, adopt from 
China.  He was open to the idea, so I kept him. 
((Craig Hurst, Father)) 
Little did I know how serious she was.  Three adoptions 
later….. 
((NATS)) 
((Katie Hurst, Mother)) 
We started adopting Simon and he came home about six 
years ago now.  He had Thalassemia Beta Major [a blood 
disorder].  We knew he couldn't get the treatment and the 
medicine that he needed to sustain his life in China.  When 
we were adopting Simon, we saw a picture of a little girl, 
super cute, chubby cheeks, and it turns out it was Ellie.  So, 
a year after Simon came home, we did get all the paperwork 
together and start the process for Ellie.  We were well into 
that process when we discovered Evie.  She had the same 
condition.  Born without eyes.  Same age.  We decided to go 
ahead and bring her home along with Ellie.   
((NATS)) 
((Courtesy:  Katie Hurst)) 
((Katie Hurst, Mother))  
All of our kids are great kids.  They get along really well. 
They have all accepted each other which is a really key 
reason we've been able to make this work.  We got Evie and 
she was very small.   She was four and a half years old at 
the time and she was 11 pounds [5 kg.].  ‘Failing to thrive’ is 
what the doctors called it.  We had to be very careful about 
what we fed her. 
((Courtesy:  Katie Hurst)) 
((Evie Hurst))  
How to make a perfect snowball?  The three elements of a 
perfect snowball are material, size…..  
((Katie Hurst, Mother))  
By the time we came home a month later, she had gained 
six pounds [2.7 kg.  She actually ate like a champ that first 
week or two.  We were all very happy with that.  
((Evie Hurst))  
Excellent. 
((NATS))  
((Faith Hurst))  
Evie, get up.  
((Evie Hurst))   
Faith. 
((Faith Hurst))  
Yeah.
((Evie Hurst)) 
May I please listen to your “Lead Me To The Cross” by 
Hillsong?  
((Faith Hurst)) 
You have to go to school.  Come on. 
((Evie Hurst)) 
Is Ellie awake?
((Faith Hurst)) 
Yeah.  Ellie is awake.
((NATS))  
((Katie Hurst, Mother)) 
Their condition is actually called Anophthalmia.  It's 
extremely rare.  I think it's one in every 250,000.  However, 
even that number, they are more rare because they were 
born without both eyes.  I have seen it in a number of cases 
of kids waiting to be adopted in China.  So, I don't know if 
that's more prevalent or if it's just simply the concentration of 
the kids being abandoned that need homes.  
((NATS))  
((Katie Hurst, Mother))  
Just normalizing it and getting them out in the world and 
letting people see who they are and enjoy who they are.  I 
think that cuts down on the fear.  I'm proud of who they are 
and I think they're genuinely beautiful girls.  And I think the 
world needs to start to see that.  
((NATS))  
((Katie Hurst, Mother)) 
Say cheese for me.   
((Evie Hurst)) 
Cheese.
((Katie Hurst, Mother)) 
Teeth together.  Teeth. 
((Evie Hurst))   
Teeth. 
((Popup Banner:  Ellie has severe autism and Evie is still 
being diagnosed for the disorder.))
((Katie Hurst, Mother)) 
Good job, Ellie.  
((Ellie Hurst)) 
Want shoes.
((Katie Hurst, Mother)) 
Want shoes next.  Okay.  Thank you for telling me.  Nice job. 
((NATS))  
((Katie Hurst, Mother)) 
Ellie and Evie we both have intensive therapy, whether or 
not it's done at school and through the school or outside 
organizations.  We have speech therapy, occupational 
therapy, physical therapy, and we have music therapy, which 
is a new addition, and that one has been really, just opened 
doors into their mind. 
((NATS)) 
((Evie Hurst)) 
Daddy doesn’t like the word “thought.” 
((Katie Hurst, Mother)) 
Brush your hair. 
((Craig Hurst, Father)) 
All right.  Zip. 
((Evie Hurst)) 
I get to go on the bus? 
((Craig Hurst, Father)) 
Yep.  Find the door.  Step down.  One. Two. One. Two.  Pick 
up your feet. 
((Evie Hurst)) 
I’m going to go all the way down to the driveway.  
((Craig Hurst, Father)) 
Here comes the bus.  
((Evie Hurst)) 
Good morning. 
((Teacher)) 
And then, you are going to wait till it comes on. 
((Evie Hurst)) 
Welcome Evie. 
((Katie Hurst, Mother)) 
Ellie and Evie are both learning Braille.  Evie is, she knows 
her whole alphabet and she's beginning reading with those.  
Ellie is learning Braille.  She's a little bit slower on learning it, 
so she doesn't know her letters yet, but we are working 
towards that.  
((Teacher)) 
Can you do number seven?  
((NATS))  
((Paul Schroll, Principal, Siebert Elementary School))  
Free and appropriate education for all, right?  It’s called 
FAPE, is something that is mandated by law.  And so, 
students arrive with needs and we do our best to meet those 
needs.  Right now, Evie and Ellie are in first grade.  So, 
there's a first-grade cohort.  In Michigan and in United 
States, it's recognized that there's a lot of value for having 
students that have disabilities learning alongside those 
students who do not have disabilities.  And there's actually 
studies that show that both parts of that equation benefit 
from that.  
((NATS))  
((Katie Hurst, Mother))  
Ellie goes to 33 hours of therapy every single week, and 
Evie has multiple hours on top of her schooling that she 
does as well.  It’s a lot of running around for us, but we've 
just seen huge improvements through the therapies that they 
do.   
((NATS))  
((Craig Hurst, Father))  
Did you do Braille today?  
((Evie Hurst)) 
Yeah. 
((Craig Hurst, Father)) 
Did you do math?  
((Evie Hurst)) 
Yeah.  May I please count to jiushi [90 in Mandarin]? 
((Craig Hurst, Father))  
Go ahead. 
((Evie Hurst)) 
[in Mandarin] One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. Seven. 
Eight. Nine. Ten.  
((Craig Hurst, Father))  
How do you say “hi” in Chinese? 
((Evie Hurst))  
Hi, Chinese. 
((Craig Hurst, Father)) 
Evie, say “nihao.” 
((Evie Hurst)) 
Nihao. 
((Craig Hurst, Father))  
There you go.   
((Craig Hurst, Father))  
A little faster.  Pick up the feet.  There you go.  Say hello. 
((Evie Hurst))  
Hello. 
((Craig Hurst, Father)) 
Can you find her? 
((Denise Travis, Music therapist))  
Ta-da.  You found me.  
((Evie Hurst))  
Find that knob. 
((Denise Travis, Music therapist))  
You found it.  It's a heavy door.  Pull hard and I'll help.  All 
right.  Here we go. 
((Evie Hurst))  
Well, it's time to start.  Evie is playing on the piano, today. 
((Denise Travis, Music therapist))  
Well, it's time to start.  Won’t you play on the piano, today.  
((Denise Travis, Music therapist)) 
Music therapy is helping individuals with special need of one 
kind or another to develop and function to their greatest 
potential.  
((NATS)) 
((Denise Travis, Music therapist)) 
We're working on motor skills, both fine and gross motor 
skills.  We're working on communication skills.  We're 
working on social skills.  Turn taking.  We're working on 
ability to self-regulate, to be able to engage in social problem 
solving.   
((NATS))  
((Evie Hurst)) 
I don’t like it!  
((Denise Travis, Music therapist)) 
Well, then, think one second.
((Evie Hurst)) 
I can’t say “well!”  
((Denise Travis, Music therapist)) 
Think one second and figure out how you need to tell me 
what it is you want. 
((Evie Hurst)) 
May I please have a paddle drum? 
((Denise Travis, Music therapist)) 
Yes, here is the paddle drum.  Where do you want to put it?  
((Evie Hurst))  
On Ms. Denise’s lap. 
((Denise Travis, Music therapist)) 
That’s better.  Nice job. 
((Denise Travis, Music therapist)) 
There is unfortunately a misconception, and the way a lot of 
people often unconsciously treat individuals with autism, is 
that they're not competent.  I find this not to be the case.  
The individuals I work with, often, depending on the topic, in 
many ways, are much brighter and much more gifted than I 
am. 
((NATS)) 
((Evie Hurst)) 
Thank you. 
((Denise Travis, Music therapist)) 
You are very welcome.  I'll see you tomorrow and have a 
great day.  
((Craig Hurst, Father)) 
Bye.  Thank you. 
((Denise Travis, Music therapist))  
You are welcome.  
((Evie Hurst))  
May I please say goodbye to the couch.  
((Craig Hurst, Father)) 
Yes.  All right.  Turn around.  Get your cane. 
((Katie Hurst, Mother))  
Future expectations.  We try not to have too many 
expectations.  That's where we’ve, kind of, put our lives.  We 
know Ellie will live with us forever.  She will never be 
independent.  And so, we are trying to secure a future for her 
that is secure.  For Simon, we just continue to hope and pray 
that there is a cure for his condition.  There's a lot of good 
gene therapy on the horizon and we keep our eyes on that. 
And we're hopeful that by the time he's an adult, that's a real 
possibility.  
((NATS))  
((Evie Hurst)) 
Brush, brush is going to go.  
((Katie Hurst, Mother))  
Evie is still…..we are figuring her out.  
((NATS)) 
((Courtesy:  Katie Hurst)) 
((Popup Banner:  A video of Evie singing during a brain 
scan at the hospital went viral on social media.)) 
((Katie Hurst, Mother))  
Suddenly, we were hitting millions of views and I didn't even 
know who was viewing it.  I was still in the hospital with Evie.  
We would get phone calls from back home, “Mom, it hit 10 
million views.”  And I went, “What? That's just crazy.”  So, 
yeah, she just became a little star overnight, which I've 
always said, she has some sort of diva gene in her. 
((NATS)) 
((Katie Hurst, Mother))  
Many of us believe Evie is going to go far.  She's going to 
have a lovely future, probably in music.  I suspect she will 
continue to sing for the world.  
((NATS))  
((Evie Hurst))  
This is who I’m meant to be.  This is me.  Look out 'cause 
here I come.  And I'm marching on to the beat I drum.
((NATS))