Ukrainian midget Natalia Grace’s new adoptive parents have launched a crowdfunding campaign to raise money for a “dream vacation” with her to Israel because she’s been “through so much”.
Cynthia Mans, Natalia’s adoptive mother, wrote that the “sweet young lady” “has always wanted to visit the Holy Land of Jerusalem.”
The GoFundMe page, which raised more than $7,000 of the $10,000 goal, says it’s “the whole family’s dream” for her to be a part of the trip.
The post includes a series of family photos that appear to show that Grace now has at least seven siblings.
Natalia Grace (circled) is pictured beaming alongside her adoptive parents Cynthia and Antwon Mans and seven other children in a photo on the family’s new GoFundMe, where they are asking for donations for a wheelchair-accessible van and money for a dream trip to Israel
Appeal: The Mans family has started a GoFundMe with a goal of raising $10,000 to raise money for a trip to Jerusalem
Mans, pictured in the photos with her husband Antwon, says the family needs a wheelchair-accessible vehicle to transport Grace and revealed that during a recent visit to a spine specialist, she was told any surgery would ” paralyzed or make it worse”.
Mans wrote, “Natalia is such a sweet young lady who has been through so much.”
“We want her to be able to get into the vehicle more easily, so we need this wheelchair-accessible van.”
Cynthia also revealed that Natalia now expects to “go to school as soon as she gets her new ID.” It is unclear what this means as her alleged biological age would now be 19 and her legal age would be 33.
Grace, in a wheelchair, is pictured alongside eight children in the back seat of a vehicle at the Mans family fundraiser. Cynthia Mans said they also needed a new wheelchair-accessible van
Mans thanked everyone for “all the love and support” in her GoFundMe, which also featured this photo of Natalia Grace
Grace’s former adoptive parents, Michael and Kristine Barnett, accused her of being an adult sociopath who posed as a child and wormed her way into their family in April 2010 when they took her in for a six-year-old orphan.
They suspected she was older than expected within days – and claimed her once happy life was ruined and that Grace, who claimed to be only six years old and had “full pubic hair”, was hiding her menstrual period from them, threateningly turned up at their beds with knives in hand and tried to poison their coffee.
The bizarre series of events led to the Lafayette, Indiana couple successfully petitioning probate court in 2012 to shift Grace’s birth year by 14 years, making her a 22-year adult in the eyes of the law. In July 2013, they left her alone in an apartment while fleeing to Canada with her three biological sons. If her Ukrainian birth certificates were correct, she would have been nine at the time.
The Barnetts said they suspected Natalia (pictured while in their care) was older than they thought just days after arriving at their home in Lafayette, Indiana
The Barnetts have been accused of neglecting their child after leaving Natalia and moving to Canada in the early 2010s after petitioning a court to move her birth year back 14 years, which was granted. Her charges were dropped in October 2022 and March 2023
The Barnetts said their couple showered Natalia with attention, taking her to Disney World, enjoying ice cream, treats and playful pillow fights with their three brothers in a bid to slowly get her out of her shell – but they soon grew suspicious
Natalia is said to have terrorized her former adoptive family before she was legally downgraded in 2012. She denies the allegations and called the Barnetts “liars” in a recent documentary.
Although her age was legally changed, the Barnetts – who had divorced – were charged with neglect five years later in 2019 because even if she wasn’t a minor, Grace’s dwarfism meant she was dependent on them. Michael was acquitted in October 2022 and the charges against Kristine were dropped three weeks before her trial in March 2023.
The saga engulfed America and Grace – along with their new adoptive parents, the Mans – was released in 2019 by Dr. Phil to refute the claim that she is a sociopathic adult.
On the show, Cynthia shared how she first met Natalia outside of the apartment given to her by her previous adoptive parents.
Cynthia said she didn’t believe the girl’s story about living alone at first, but said it was obvious once she saw the inside of the apartment.
“She took me to her house and it was definitely her apartment.” “She had a bed there, she ran the TV, she had a boxed meal in her freezer,” Cynthia said.
“I was like, ‘I’ve got some kids at home, come down, you can play with them and talk to us.’ So she came to our house and stayed down there and never left.”
Although the law now considers her 33 years old, the process used to age the midget has been questioned by legal expert Beth Karas: “I’m not right in this case”.
The lawyer said Natalia was never represented in court and was not informed about the trial, which she said should raise doubts about the correctness of the procedure.
The bizarre case began when Natalia’s former adoptive parents, Michael and Kristine Barnett, welcomed her into their home in April 2010.
They claim her behavior “escalated” in the months that followed and feared for her life as she allegedly poisoned her coffee with bleach and threatened to stab her while she slept.
This led to them filing in court for an age change, which was granted without a hearing, and the then eight-year-old turned 22 overnight.
Last month, the Barnetts and Grace appeared in a six-part Investigation Discover (ID) documentary, in which each side detailed the other’s horrors and denied the other side’s claims. Grace branded the Barnetts “liars”.
In The Curious Case of Natalia Grace, Michael claimed that Natalia made his family’s life a living hell shortly after they adopted her.
Michael said his family began questioning her real age one of the first nights after her adoption.
In an episode of Dr. Phil (pictured) in 2019 denied Natalia, who is pictured holding hands with Cynthia Mans, that she was an adult, and her new parents defended her, saying she was a “sincerely loving girl” and not an “adult sociopath who impersonates…”. Child’
Michael Barnett (pictured on the Investigation Discovery show) claims Natalia tried to poison his family’s coffee and threatened to stab his children
While bathing Natalia after spending the day at Disneyland, he said that in the bathroom, Kristine let out a bloodcurdling scream when she realized the girl, who they thought was only six years old, had “full pubic hair.” had.
In the months that followed, there was “a strong escalation,” the couple claims. This included discovering that she had kept her period a secret from them for months.
When Natalia once met another six-year-old who suffered from a rare bone condition called spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia, the huge age difference seemed undeniable.
Natalia, who did not speak with a Ukrainian accent, towered over her playmate while her bone structure and vocabulary were far more advanced.
Over the months, Michael claimed it had become apparent that they were living with a threat, to the point that she threatened to stab her new siblings.
“She tried to poison and kill my wife,” Michael added. “[And]one night I opened my eyes and Natalia was standing at the foot of the bed with a knife in her hand.”
The documentary features unprecedented footage of Natalia’s suspicious behavior in her adopted country, including sitting at a table and reading the Bible. When asked why she read it, she replies, “To get rid of those evil thoughts.”
“She would do as much as possible to cause harm or psychological distress to the entire family,” Michael said.
Natalia (right) pictured with her adoptive mother Cynthia Mans (left) who started the fundraiser to bring her to Israel
Cynthia Mans (centre) has always insisted Natalia is a “sincere and loving young lady”.
Natalia’s adoptive parents have come to her defense in the past, including appearing on Dr. Phil in 2019, where they said she is a “sincere and loving young lady.”
They branded the Barnetts heartless liars who deserve to be brought to justice for what they did to the child they promised to care for.
dr Phil played parts of Kristine’s interview while speaking with Natalia, which made her emotional as she denied the claims and insisted she never wished the Barnetts or their sons any harm.
While they claim she stood over her bed with knives, Natalia cried when she said the only reason she went to her room while they slept was to comfort herself after a nightmare.
The question remains, however: is Natalia Grace an unfairly treated orphan who was left to her own devices as a child in need and eventually found a family to care for her – or, as the Barnetts claim, an adult “sociopath” who found herself used cunning to gain access to her family?