Bonnie is loving her new beanie baby.

Director Wang from the orphanage loves all the kids so much.  Little Faith was so happy to see her again when we visited and quickly leaned in for a hug.
Faith and Director Wang

We were so touched by the love between Emmerson and her foster father.  Emmerson still has not had her palate repaired, and her father has been writing to Chinese charities all over China asking for assistance for his daughter.   We had stopped doing very many palate surgeries in China, as many of the children in our programs were adopted after their lip was repaired.  But now that Anhui adoptions have slowed to a crawl, we have been gathering a long list of children in our programs there who will need to have their palates repaired for optimal speech progression.

Emmerson and her devoted foster father

We hope you enjoy some of the photos from XiaoXian!

Buddies Nicole and Lani and their new beanie babies

Sweet Hope

What a face Eileen is making!

Caleb gives this visit the thumbs up.

Chase waving bye-bye…until next time!

The medical team from the US was trying their best to hurry out of Fujian before Typhoon Meigi came ashore. They were delighted to find that several caregivers and babies would be traveling with them to the airport. Maureen Brogan wrote the following:

“We quickly took the babies onto our laps and got in our last snuggles on the hour long ride. We considered smuggling them on the plane- they would have fit quite nicely in our carry-ons! I loved the way Harris watched the view out the windows, and how he would look up into my eyes and grin. Louise was cooing and snuggling with Jenn, and it was very hard to hand the babies back to their caregivers when we finally arrived. We carefully wrapped them in the quilts Dr Ness’s mom made for them and watched as they checked into their flights.

We had a bumpy ride to Hong Kong and a short delay for our flights back to the US. Our thoughts and conversation on the plane were of the children we had fallen in love with during the week. We know they can all look forward to a brighter future, thanks to everyone who made this trip possible.”

Harris looking out the window as he gets ready to travel home

Maureen shared with us that three children in particular are weighing on her heart right now:

Louie, a sweet 6 year old boy, who was so cooperative the entire time he was in the hospital. He had not been considered for adoption as it was thought that his lip repair did not look nice enough. Now that his lip has been revised by Dr. Ness, it is hoped that he will be eligible for adoption soon. Maureen gave him a get well card from her daughter, Aiying, and he quietly asked if he could have a toy to bring back to his best friend at the orphanage. His caregiver told us that he was anxious to share his sticker book with his friend, a girl about 9 years old. We were happy to let him choose a beanie baby to give to her too, and he carefully looked for the exact right gift for her and choose a koala bear. We gave him a stack of sticker books to share with the other children, and he packed them up with a small smile and left clutching his get well card and balloon dog. The family who chooses him will be blessed with a very handsome, gentle, sweet son. We hope he gets his chance for a family soon.

Zachary, who had his palate repaired, still has a severe protrusion of his front teeth and gum. Despite this condition, he is a handsome boy. He needs an orthodontist/oral surgeon to start moving his jaw and upper teeth into the proper position. This procedure is not available in Fuzhou and his best hope for a bright future is adoption. He is a curious, busy toddler who treasures his friends. He was up and exploring with his friends just hours after surgery. However, after his friends had their surgeries the next day, he stuck close to them in their beds until they felt better and were ready to join him in his adventures in the hallways. We hope there is a family who can look beyond his upper jaw and see the handsome little boy who treasures friends and is ready for adventures and a family of his own.

Sweet Zachary

Garret was unable to be helped on this trip. He has very little upper lip tissue left after the failure of his first surgery last winter. He needs several procedures which are not available in China, and his best hope is to be adopted so he can receive the medical care he needs for a full and happy life. He is a jolly, sturdy, playful baby. With his ready grin and sparkling eyes, he charmed everyone he met. He kept us laughing all day, every day as he played with the student nurses and then quickly learned to get upright and start to toddle. To watch and record his first steps was a joy for our team, and it broke our hearts that we could not help him this trip. We are all praying that a wonderful family will come forward who will love him completely and help him receive the surgeries he needs.

Everyone who met Garret fell in love with him!

We hope you enjoy some more of the photos below of the children helped during this trip. Thank you a thousand times over for supporting our work, and especially for supporting the children who need a helping hand.

Getting one last snuggle with Louise before she heads back to her orphanage

Hayden – post op

Mary’s caregiver took her outside to enjoy the sunshine before they headed home

Joel’s nanny had him all bundled before they left the hospital

Maureen saying goodbye to Fenn, who is all smiles again

My nanny thinks I am SO handsome!

Ming Yi’s mom was very emotional as they left

Leslie sleeping peacefully in her nanny’s arms

THANK YOU for making a difference in their lives!

As we have seen so many adorable photos throughout the week, we thought it would be a good idea to put the before and after photos together into a gallery so you can see, in one place, what was accomplished this week! These are photos of just the lip repairs since you can’t see a change with a repaired palate but that doesn’t mean those repairs are any less dramatic.

Isn’t that just incredible? There were so many people who played a part in making this Trip such a success but we would like to publicly thank the following:

Drs. John Ness and Cris Martin—two of the most talented, compassionate men on this planet!
Maureen Brogan—LWB Associate Medical Director who organized the whole trip and spent a week away from her family to hug every child for each of us.
Jenn Sayler—a nurse who volunteered to help Maureen and hug the kids as well.
East Alabama Medical Center and South Austin Surgery Center—for their help with surgical supplies.
Our incredible sponsors! Without your support this trip wouldn’t have been possible.

Melissa also left for her home orphanage today. Her lip looks beautiful! We are happy to know that her adoption paperwork will be submitted to the CCAA. Hopefully soon she will have her own family to share her beautiful smiles with!

At noon, a very shy man came to the hospital with his small son. His son is almost four years old and has a bilateral cleft lip. The child’s mother has a poorly repaired cleft lip and does not leave her home as a result. The man’s cousin accompanying the dad said the dad had seen the news coverage and developed the courage to come to ask for help for his son. The father is an older man, and it is clear he adores his small son. When told that we would be able to provide the surgery for his son, Shun Yu, the father burst into tears. The father, being very shy, had a hard time posing for the pictures and answering questions, but he worked up his courage and did so with tears in his eyes. His love and courage to obtain help for his son moved all of us to tears as well.

Another extremely emotional moment from the day was when Meng Yi, the daughter of the young widowed girl whose husband was killed in a factory accident, came out from surgery. Her lip was beautiful, and her mother and grandfather were overjoyed. A little later, when Meng Yi wanted to eat and was not yet able to as it was too soon after surgery, she cried and cried. Her mother soon began to sob more deeply than the baby. She sobbed that her daughter was unhappy, and she sobbed that Meng Yi’s father was not there to share this with her. Her father and the mother of Yu Xuan, another rural girl waiting for surgery, walked, rocked, and cared for Meng Yi while the mother was comforted by our staff and the other parents in the room. The mother soon realized that she was not alone and took comfort in holding and walking with her daughter.

We have two young girls, Yu Xuan and Li Feng, from poor rural families who are here to have surgery. We have enjoyed getting to know both girls. Not only are they both very shy and sweet, they also both have twin brothers! Li Feng, seen below, is in sixth grade and loves to draw and play with the toddlers. We have been charmed by her sweet smiles. She had her surgery today, and Dr Martin shared that she was the most cooperative patient he has had for someone that age. She was very sweet as she prepared for her surgery to start. Her palate was fixed, and she came back from the OR in time for us to say goodnight. We are hoping she has a restful night.

Yu Xuan shares her very shy smile with us in the above photo. She lives with her grandmother and twin brother. She had a repair of her cleft lip when she was one years old and is hopeful that Dr Ness can make her lip look better than it does now. Her lip revision is scheduled for Friday morning.

We are truly grateful that we have had the privilege of helping children from rural families needing assistance. Donations of any amount toward the surgeries for Shun Yu, Yu Xuan, Li Feng, and other rural children are greatly appreciated and can be made here. Please indicate “Rural Children Donation” in the Notes section of your donation.

We were happy to see that Mr. Smiley, aka Joel, was back to smiling but were worried that his grinning was not good for the stitches; so we let him recover quietly for today without pestering him for pictures.

Daisy continues to be a very good natured, happy baby. She is content to play with her caregiver and coo for hours. Her next bed neighbor, Whitney, is having a rougher recovery. She has had a fever and quite a bit of swelling; so she is not very comfortable. Fortunately her caregiver is right at her side and very attentive. No baby is ever without a loving pair of arms to rock them and hold them as they recover from their surgeries.

Madelyn came back from her surgery with not only a beautiful new face but also a great attitude. She was awake, active, kicking, and singing as soon as she was back in bed. “Ahhhh, oohhhhh,” she sings so very sweetly!

The three musketeers continue to recover from their surgeries in the toddler room. They have decided that they do not like white coats and will cry hard if you enter the room in one. Their roommate, Chloe, can sense a camera even in her sleep and will wake up and scream. Louie decided to join the fun in the toddler room and it was fun to see them all playing together.

Lianne remains a favorite of the student nurses and doctors. She is just so pretty and delicate in her little hat! She and John, in a matching hat, were discharged today, wrapped in quilts that Dr Ness’s mother made for each child receiving surgery. Seeing the babies wrapped in the quilts reminded us again how many people have taken part in the trip. It would not be possible to change the lives of so many children without the support of each of you.

We believe that the biggest transformation so far has been for Wade, who has been so tenderly cared for by his foster grandfather. The lip repair is truly perfect, and Wade’s foster grandfather has hovered over him smiling with joy. There are simply no words to describe our joy at seeing Wade’s and other children’s lives changed.

With all the babies being discharged, more babies going for surgeries, and a new admission of a very poor rural boy, it was a very emotional day. SO many lives were changed… not just the children having surgery, but also the lives of all who care for them and everyone around them.

We are sure you would agree that these beautiful and brave children and families have touched your and our lives as well!

Many of the babies today were feeling so much better after their surgeries earlier in the week. John was awake most of the day today and was very alert and curious. He was so happy that he was allowed to start eating again.

John is doing beautifully

Harris was a very happy camper today and super active! The student nurses took turns strolling him up and down the hallway, and our volunteers discovered he has a wonderful throwing arm (with an orange).

Playing catch with Maureen

Louise looked beautiful after her surgery. She is such a tiny little baby – and so good natured.

Little Louise

Daisy is a quiet and happy baby as well. The team has decided that Daisy is the perfect English name for her, because she is beautiful, quiet and peaceful. She loves to look around and be carried, but will not make a fuss if you are too busy to do so. Her sweet cooing has even charmed the busy doctors, and they love holding and talking to her.

Daisy has everyone wrapped around her finger

Our team learned today that Wade has dimples! He had been very unsure of them up until today, but he has finally accepted that they are just silly and fun to laugh at. : -)

Finally a big smile from Wade!

Fenn is still not happy with most of our team following his palate surgery yesterday, but he gave Dr. Ness a tiny grin this evening.

Fenn should hopefully feel much better tomorrow

Whitney was resting when the team arrived but woke up and quietly watched the doctors and nurses do their morning rounds. She is still not feeling very well either, but her nanny is very attentive and right there to fulfill her every need.

Whitney post op

Hayden returned from surgery and was sleeping in her caregivers arms. Her lip looks wonderful, and we are sure she will be feeling much better tomorrow.

Hayden as Sleeping Beauty

Mr. Smiley, Joel, was not so happy today since he was not allowed to eat before surgery! But once he was put on the table to roll back to the OR, he perked up and looked quite brave. His repair is just beautiful, and he was already trying to smile soon after he returned from the recovery room.

Joel heading back to the OR

We have admitted several more rural children for repairs. Fang is a 13 year old girl who has never had her palate repaired. She has a twin brother and lives on a rural farm with her grandmother and grandfather. Her older sister works to support the family. They are very happy that we have agreed to accept her case. We are waiting for more information and then will put her on our website for funding.

Xuan Yu is a 15 month old baby whose family spent all of their money on her lip repair, and so now they don’t have any funds left to repair her palate. She was brought to the hospital by her mom and dad, grandmother and grandfather. They all live together in the countryside, and waited anxiously for the news on whether she would qualify. Dr. Ness is going to do her surgery tomorrow. If you would like to help this family, you can visit her donation page here.

The family of Meng Yi send their deepest thanks to the people who funded her surgery. We learned that her father was killed in September in an accident at the factory where he worked. Her mother and grandfather work as farmers and really struggle to make ends meet. We are so happy that we could help them in this way.

Sweet Little Meng Yi

We said goodbye today to Payton and Melissa as they are both doing great post-op. The family who funded Payton’s surgery got to meet her today in the hospital. We all think it is so wonderful that their new daughter whom they just adopted was one of our Anhui Cleft Home babies. Some of you might remember little Jo, who was sent to our home from Fujian. She now has a wonderful adoptive family to love her forever. That is the exact happy ending we love hearing for the babies we heal.

Melissa getting one final check up before discharge

How amazing that Jo (on right) who was healed in our Anhui cleft home, was being adopted at the same time that our cleft team was there.  We love these little serendipity moments!

Zachary and Yasmine were both not feeling well today after their palate repairs. Yasmine had a wide bilateral palate, so she was struggling with the pain. Maureen and Jenn started making balloon animals for them, which cheered them up quite a bit. We all hope they both feel better tomorrow.

Poor Yasmine wasn’t feeling well today post-surgery

De Teng continues to do a great job helping with the team and the children. He is in dental school in the Henan province, and so today he learned the story from our team of the infamous tooth fairy. Everyone has enjoyed working with him, and today Jenn gave him a gold coin from the US to wish him luck in the future.

Two more days of surgery left!  Thanks again for all of your good wishes for the kids.  Our team can feel the support all the way to China!

On April 17th and 18th, 2009, Gina Hall (Lu’An Foster Care Assistant) accompanied me to visit the Lu’An Foster Care Children.

As always it was a joy to see the children and since they all know me quite well by now, it was even more special to be met by broad smiles and hugs.

We are pleased to report that the children all seemed happy and well cared for. There is so much love between the foster parents and the children….

We visited 2 little girls in their new school. It was so funny to see our 2 girls stand up beaming while the rest of the class dived under their desks screaming! So many times during our 2 days in Lu’an we saw the LWB foster children acting up for the camera and so obviously posing for the best photo opportunity available whilst all the neighbouring children were hiding.

But poser of the day photo has to go to Rachel……

One little girl has recently received a wheelchair and she was quick to show us how she can zoom around in it.

It was touching to visit a home and see 2 non-special needs children so lovingly fussing over by their older sister. The sister was 15 years old and she proudly helped her mum answer all our questions about the 2 little ones, whilst constantly rubbing their faces and smiling at them.

There are so many wonderful stories about the homes, the families, and schools. We’ve created a slideshow to help share these stories with you — Please go to, http://snurl.com/h417t ,for some great photos!

So on behalf of the Lu’An Foster children I would like to thank all our sponsors who make the foster care possible and all our donors who so generously give soft toys, toy cars, legos, hair clips etc for the children as presents. Without you, none of this would be possible. And as someone who has just been there to see for herself, I would like to say how very grateful to each and every one of you I am.

Arlene Howard is the Love Without Boundaries Lu’An Foster Care Coordinator

The last day of the Medical Exchange was a smooth day filled with laughter.

Gavin is doing wonderfully and Stephanie tells us that is in part due to his wonderful caregiver, Lui Yan. Lui Yan is a member of the LWB’s Anhui Cleft Healing Home and also LWB’s foster care manager for Lu’an.

She took this trip to Shanghai by herself in order to care for Gavin. She has loving and responsible and has had little to no sleep in the last three days as she has held, held and comforted him during his time in the hospital. Love Without Boundaries is so blessed to have staff like her in China. As Stephanie said “Together we make a difference!”

Gavin is recovering so well and rapidly that he may be discharged back to the Anhui Cleft Healing Home in just three days post-op! Stephanie has already gotten a smile out of him for the camera. What a strong, happy baby!

Today was filled with goodbyes as children left with their caregivers. It is always hard to say goodbye after getting to know the children so well. Lianne, Lei, Brian and Gang all were discharged in the morning. Liping was everywhere making arrangements for all the Ayis and making sure no detail was missed. He was invaluable in making arrangements for the beginning of the mission and now he will see to the last details as the trip ends. As the rest of the team leaves, Liping will remain to help the Caregivers and children until the last one has been discharged home. We could not have done this exchange without him!

Liping, Dr. Zheng Shan and Richard

The surgeries of the day were all lip repairs and the doctors were able to make the best use of their time teaching and learning. Ping, Lu and Jia all return to the ward with beautiful repairs. They look just fantastic!

Rong has run a little fever so they will keep her in the hospital for another day. Cheerful, optimistic Xi has not cried after surgery despite some swelling in his face. We, the China and USA staff, have had quite the discussion of whether this is a girl or boy and we have settled on Stephanie’s “a pink boy” even thought he orphanage has told us this is a girl. No matter, he is very cute and engaging!

The afternoon was filled with speeches and academic lectures. Dr Ness gave a speech about the teamwork necessary to repair facial deformities then gave lectures, translated by Richard and Dr Dong, to the entire medical staff at Fudan’s Children’s Hospital and Dr Xiao Xin Min, a leading pediatric surgeon in China. Dr Martin gave also provided academic lectures to the anesthesiologists. The lectures were also attended by the expats who then joined everyone for the celebration banquet. It was summed by DR Ness- “HAPPY, HAPPY!”

It was a wonderful week, twenty-two children with difficult cleft lips, palates and facial deformities were repaired successfully repaired, medical knowledge was exchanged, new skills learned, friendships forged, and relationships built.

Dr. Martin and Dr. Wang

Love Without Boundaries 7th Medical Mission was a complete success. It would not have been possible without the hard work, over months of time, of people worldwide. Sponsors, volunteers around the world, doctors, nurses, government officials in the USA and China, the expats in China all worked together to change the lives of these children forever.

Click here for our slide show of the day!

“Super Ambitious Day” was Mission Accomplished! It was a day of challenges, learning and fun.

All five children scheduled received surgery today. All of the surgeries were difficult but went very smoothly. It was a very joyful but long day for everyone.

Yuan was the first case and her surgery was difficult but she returned back to the ward in great shape!

Next it was Gavin’s turn. His lungs were clear and he looked strong. Everyone held their breath to see if he would immediately return to wait another day, but as the minutes ticked, by they realized Gavin was getting his surgery! Prayers from around the world were being answered as the surgeons worked with great skill and teamwork to repair his facial cleft.

Stephanie encouraged his caregiver to get some sleep while she could, as it would be an uncomfortable night to follow as he might be restless and fussy. Everyone was so excited and anxious to see his new face but they had to wait over four hours for their first look. He returned, to everyone’s delight and joy, with a swollen but very handsome face. Thank you to all the people who have kept him their hearts, minds and prayers this week. We are so grateful.

Grace had waited patiently for her turn. She is such a brave girl and even has a little smile on her face as she is being wheeled down the hall. She is anxious to speak better and is happy to have surgery to help her. She has made friends with everyone one and is so sweet. She had surgery to create a flap at the back of her throat to improve her pronunciation of words. She returned in good spirits and slept the rest of the day away as she recovered.

Jian was the fourth case of the day. He held on to his foster mother until the last minute and as he was wheeled down the hall, he anxiously kept his eyes on her. She was there when he returned and he is recovering nicely.

Xi has kept everyone entertained. She was so busy playing that she forgot to be hungry. She also has great news to share with everyone- On this trip she learned to walk steady on her own. What a big step for her and how nice there are so many people to share in the joy of her accomplishment.

Xi’s cleft was quite wide but her repair looks wonderful. What a successful day of surgeries it has been.

Becca and Lianne have recovered from their surgeries quite rapidly. Stephanie had to bribe Becca with apple juice to get a hug and picture before Becca left for home with her foster mom. This bribe did not work with Faith Mei who would follow Stephanie everyone wanting to play but then would start to cry every time Stephanie pulled out her camera. Hao and Little Xi were also discharged home with their caregivers.

Tomorrow Ping, Lu and Jia will have their lips repaired and Dr Ness and Dr Martin will present lectures to the entire hospital staff.

The evening ended with a lovely dinner with the expats and their families. A long but so satisfying day.

A slideshow of additional photos from the day can be found here: http://snurl.com/fkso8

Tomorrow will be less ambitious but just as satisfying as the final surgeries are finished and the lives of the 22 children are changed.

I loved Jone’s comment about the foster care families:

“We walked everywhere and we were able to see how and where they live and where they study. I was impressed by the fact that most places were in darkness, there were no light, but as always, the joy and optimism this people transmit. They are fantastic. The children are in the best of hands.”

Orphanage pictures

Foster Care children pictures

The last days of a Cleft Mission are always the busiest! Today was a day filled with joy and laughter as many of the children who had surgery on the first day left to return to their hometowns and more children arrived to prepare for their surgeries tomorrow.

There was laughter within the team members, too. They waited and waited for their familiar van and driver and when they could not find him they decided to take a taxi to the hospital. On the way to the hospital, our medical director Richard received a phone call, “Where are you? I am your driver and I have been waiting for you”, the anxious voice said. It was a new driver who was still waiting at the hotel for them….oops! It was a different van and the driver had left home early so he could get them to the hospital on time. Richard took responsibility for the confusion, and apologies were made and accepted

Then later in the day Dr. Shen called Richard to say “It is Mission Impossible! How come FIVE more cleft children are coming? There is no way to finish all the surgeries!”
This was a big shock for Richard! He was told there was a foreign woman arriving with five children needing cleft surgery. Richard told them this was impossible and he had no idea who this was. He hurried to the floor where a Chinese doctor had taken this lady. It turned out she was from Brazil and spoke very little English. Richard tried to talk seriously with her to tell her that they could not possibly take any more children for surgery. You can just imagine his relief when he finally realized it was all a misunderstanding and that she was actually an Expat who had come to help with the cleft babies that day -The “five cleft children” already were scheduled for surgery that day.

A sense of humor is invaluable on these trips. We really love Richard and his ability to handle any situation that arises AND keep his sense of humor.

The team began today with a meeting with Director of CHFD, Dr Huang. Our work together, medical exchanges and further cooperation were discussed in this meaningful and productive meeting.

Dr. Huang was excited to hear that there were three Jinjiang children arriving today for surgery because Jinjiang is his hometown. He tried to see them but sadly couldn’t since he had to leave for the airport before they arrived. The meeting ended with Dr Ness presenting a plaque to CHFD from LWB in gratitude for their generous support and dedication in making this Medical Exchange possible.

Four children were discharged today: JD, Peng, Liang and Xiang. We were sad to see JD head back home with his teacher. How I wish I could be there to see in the joy in his grandmother’s eyes as he returns home! We will continue to follow his story, and I am sure this boy is going to grow up to do great things!

Lei was the first surgery of the day and Dr Shen performed her surgery beautifully!

Gavin was to be the second case but sadly his lungs are not entirely clear so they have put him off until tomorrow when they will try again. He is looking so much stronger but his lungs just are not clear enough to risk surgery just yet. Please keep him your thoughts and prayers.

The next two surgeries, Gang and Rong, were much more difficult, but thanks to the joint efforts of the Chinese and American surgeons, their repairs turned out beautifully.

Lianne had a fun morning playing with everyone and receiving a beautiful Barbie doll, but when it was her turn for surgery she and her foster mother sobbed and held hands as she was wheeled down the hall to the surgery suite. She returned awake and happily showed Stephanie her new mouth.. A very brave girl, she took some pain medicine and was able to play with the Expats between napping in her bed.

Brian was the last surgery of the day. He was very hungry but decided he would just sleep until it was his turn. He returned a little fussy but his caregiver is very attentive and is taking great care of him.

Yuan is doing well today, no fever and no cough so she will be able to have surgery tomorrow. They will finish the rest of the palate cases and hopefully Gavin too.

Xi, Jian, Ping, Jia and Lu arrived today and were admitted into hospital.
Little Xi is very joyful. She makes friends with strangers easily and everyone is so attracted by her smile! She quickly made friends with An from Hefei. I just love the picture of them laughing together in the slideshow and also the picture of her with the doctors.

The slideshow can be found here: http://snurl.com/fi6e5

There was cause for more laughter as little Jian was walking around the hall with his diaper hanging loose. When they told the foster mom, she said, “His bottom needed to breath”.

Tomorrow will be a “SUPER AMBITIOUS” day according to Dr Martin . Stay tuned! And as always, we are so grateful for your support and prayers for these wonderful children.

Please click here if you are interested in donating to Love Without Boundaries.