LWB Community

Baby Carson

A guest blog by Stefani Ellison

The calendar said it was the first day of Spring 2012 but the biting cold was more like mid-winter. I had just entered the children’s section of the SWI I was visiting and the worried nannies brought first to me a child who needed immediate help. They carried in a bundle of heavy quilts. As I peeled back each thick blanketed layer, there was the tiny face of a baby. A baby boy with big and intense eyes fanned by his long thin fingers. This baby boy latched right onto my heart as he reached out and latched my finger with his wee hand. I guessed this child couldn’t be more than 2-3 months old. I was very wrong. He was would soon be two in June. Read more.

Questions…and an Answer

My cleft trip summary was supposed to be submitted right after Maureen Brogan’s beautiful post, but to be honest, I didn’t have it in me. I needed a breather as I felt both emotionally and physically raw after returning, and trying to sum up the week I witnessed in China with a few clever sentences seemed trite and disingenuous. I wrote earlier that these trips were hard, but I had no idea. I came back to the US changed. No epiphanies, but the world looked and felt different, and the problem was that I couldn’t articulate why, either to myself or others. Until tonight. Read more.

Joshua: A Medical Success Story

Joshua stole all of our hearts from the first day we saw his photos. He was described as strong and active, though diagnosed with several heart defects that made his repair complex. Joshua arrived at the hospital with a respiratory infection but responded well to treatment. His updates always included a note about what a good appetite he had and how active he was.

Joshua and his caregiver obviously shared a special bond as well. Read more.

Day Four of the 2012 Cleft Exchange

Today one of the volunteers said it is a shame that these trips don’t last two weeks, as everyone has truly hit their stride, and the entire China/American team is working seamlessly together to help the kids.

Thursday morning was very busy as many rural families came to the hospital to check in and lots of babies were being discharged. The OR day began at 8 a.m. with two local children going into surgery for palate repairs. Xian was Dr. Ness’ first patient today. She is a very beautiful girl with a very attentive dad. Dr. Ness said that she was so lovely that he wanted to do a lip revision as well as her palate so that she wouldn’t have any scar at all. Read more.

Day Three of the Cleft Exchange: Happy Birthday, Dr. Ness!

All of us at LWB sure are happy that Dr. John Ness came into this world a few decades ago. Before we tell you about the surgery day, we just want to thank this very special man, who has traveled with LWB on cleft trips multiple times to change the lives of so many children. We had an extra special surprise for him today, when we asked him to sit back on one of the hospital beds so the very grateful nannies could make a “baby pile” on his lap in honor of all he has done. Following the photo, the nannies all sang a very special happy birthday song in Chinese to him. Later that night he was presented with a dragon cake, and we hope this was a birthday he will never forget. Read more.

An Incredible Day Two in Kaifeng

Tuesday was simply an incredible day for our cleft exchange in Kaifeng, with eleven children having their surgeries completed. The first cases started at 8 a.m. with Harris and Isaac heading to the OR. The ward was actually pretty quiet today, as the babies rested following their operations yesterday and the others napped before surgery. Little Asher has had some swelling following his operation, so his nanny from the Anhui Healing Home was sitting with him making sure his mouth stayed open so his airway was good.

Asher

Read more.

The First Day of the 2012 Cleft Exchange

It took quite awhile for me to fall asleep on Sunday night, as I was thinking about what a huge responsibility our team feels for the children who have come to Kaifeng this week for their cleft repairs. Before I traveled, I of course knew that we would be putting babies to sleep in the OR for their surgeries, but it wasn’t until yesterday, when I met these incredible kids in person, that the full weight of wanting everything to go smoothly became the heaviest. I am so grateful to all of the donors and supporters for LWB who are making these surgeries possible. The nannies and foster moms have such obvious hopes for their children to be healed. You are making such a difference in their lives. Read more.

Arrival and Preparations in Kaifeng

The cleft exchange medical team has arrived safely to Kaifeng in anticipation of the surgeries beginning early Monday morning. In addition, 26 babies arrived on Sunday from orphanages throughout China, and our team helped them get settled into the hospital. We wonder if you can identify the province this group was from by their baby carriers?

We have four wonderful physicians on this trip from Minnesota – Dr. John Ness, Dr. Chris Tolan, Dr. Neil Derechin, and Dr. Kathy Clinch. They spent Sunday doing pre-op physicals on the children and making sure each child was in good health for their life changing operations. Read more.

A Gift That Cannot Be Replicated

There is something about traveling at 556 mph and 33,000 ft. above the earth that always makes me reflect on the past. A similar flight occurred just over eight years ago, and I was nervous then as I’m nervous now. At that time, I was yet to be a dad, but that was all about to change. I had just kissed goodbye my very pregnant wife so that I could bring back our twelve-month-old daughter waiting for us in China. Read more.

Help Save a Child’s Life…Through Art!

Every year our art auction raises essential funds for our medical program so that babies like little Fallon can get a second chance.  When Fallon’s orphanage phoned us last week, they told us she was extremely blue, short of breath, and hot with fever.  We moved her urgently to a cardiac hospital, and she will need surgery to survive. Read more.