Alum and family featured on Nightline

Douglas VanDrie, MD, ‘76, was the subject of an ABC News Nightline episode on family life and family values in America. What credentials qualified him to appear in this nationally-televised program? Perhaps it’s the three children he had with his wife, Jan. Or perhaps it’s the additional 11 children they adopted. Together, they form a unique and interesting family that caught the attention of TV viewers everywhere.

Living in Grand Rapids, MI, and practicing obstetrics/gynecology, Dr. VanDrie has become a proponent for international adoption. In fact, his wife, Jan, is a former nurse who now works for an adoption agency. Besides their three natural children (ages 26, 18 and 9), their other children come from as far away as Texas, the Philippines, Brazil and Korea. Eight of those children are now grown and living on their own. The rest remain at home.

According to an article from the Grand Rapids Press, Doug and Jan adopted their first son from Brazil while Doug was still in medical school. “We knew even then that we wanted a large family, but we had no particular number in mind,” said Jan. “Things just started to flow and eventually snowballed.”

She adds, “We have never seen this as a missionary project. This is our family.”