Fast forward to the Fall of 2010. I saw a post on Facebook from Amy Eldridge asking for volunteers for a “Teacher Training” trip. I was interested in gaining more information and emailed Amy. I was chosen to be part of the “team” and was thrilled. As nervous as I was to be traveling all the way to China with three “strangers,” the months that followed were filled with excitement and anticipation. We had frequent conference calls, telephone calls, and email conversations to decide on our agenda and responsibilities. As the months progressed, those three “strangers” began to be less “strange.” We began to develop the goals and plans for the training, and each of us had the opportunity to teach mini-workshops tailored to the needs of the students in the Believe In Me schools. Under the direction of Amy (who I am convinced does not require sleep to function) and Kate Dlugozima, the former director of education, we collaboratively formulated the plans for the week.

Each of us had our specific discipline and “specialty” to offer. My background is in special education, so I focused most on adapting “circle time” activities, incorporating sensory activities into daily lessons, addressing challenging behaviors in the classroom, and developing visual schedules. We had an amazing speech language pathologist who was able to teach about speech development, oral motor activities, picture boards, and so much more.

Each day the teachers and students were led by our amazing art instructor who was able to provide open-ended art experiences with various materials. Our fourth team member offered the teachers basic information about different disabilities, dispelling the myths and stigma associated with some of the diagnoses that the children in our school may have. She impressed upon them that EVERY child has potential to do amazing things if given the support to do it. How true is that!

As early as the first afternoon we were there, I was struck by how very dedicated each of the Believe In Me teachers were. They truly cared for the students in their care, and one could tell by observing their interactions with the children as well as their concern to “do better” and to “do more.” Time after time I was amazed by an incredible job they were already doing.

The kids, oh my, the kids. One just as amazing as the next. Little bitty babies navigating the classrooms with bodies working against them but determined to get to their destination. Children bundled up in layers still running around, exploring and happily participating in all of the activities we planned for them. They were soaking up all of the activities and just wanted more. More knowledge, more information, more stimulation, and more love.

As the week progressed, we were flexible and modified the agenda as needed. (I never imagined making play-doh in a wok, but we did it!) We were able to adapt what we already planned to really meet the needs of the teachers and students. That is what special education is all about. Planning lessons and changing gears when things need to change direction.

Cooking up homemade play-doh in a wok as the teachers look on.

As we said good bye to the teachers and staff, there were many tears. It touched me how very appreciative the teachers were for our training and the information that we shared with them. I knew my life was changed, and I would be back. Little did I know how MUCH my life was about to change.

In December 2011, just nine months after the teacher training was held, I was on a plane headed back to Fujian province. This trip was to bring home a little girl that I met on that trip. That little girl is now my daughter, and she is amazing, smart, beautiful, and meant to be a part of our family. Every single night when I tuck her into bed, I thank God…..and Love Without Boundaries for bringing us together.

My daughters and me

On February 19, 2011 I boarded a plane for China with three strangers. Over the course of seven days, my life was transformed in more ways than I could have ever imagined. On February 26th, four friends landed at JFK airport in the United States, each one of our lives impacted in ways than we could not articulate. But we understood. We didn’t need the words. Each of us hope and pray that we were able to teach those incredible teachers and students from the LWB Believe in Me School just a fraction of what they taught us. My life (and my family) will never be the same.

Our amazing team saying goodbye:  Susie, Lisa, Michele, AJ, Chris, and Yvonne

If given the opportunity to work with Love Without Boundaries, I would shout loudly, “DO IT!  You will never regret it.” Whether you are a sponsor or a volunteer, there are so many opportunities to get involved and make a difference. What is your gift? What is your passion? Join the LWB team. It will be one of the most fulfilling areas of your life. Trust me… I know.

~Michele Mugavero, LWB Training Coordinator

If you are a special education teacher, occupational therapist, physical therapist, or speech pathologist and have an interest in joining this year’s Teacher Training (July 16-20 in Huainan, Anhui, China), please click here to complete the application; the deadline to submit the application is March 15. We also hope that some of you will consider making a donation to offset the cost of this special education teacher training. Thank you for supporting this life-changing venture!

Zachary had his cleft lip and palate repaired during our 2010 cleft surgery trip and was featured in several blogs about the trip (Day Two, Day Three, and the final day). However, he has a severe protrusion of his front teeth and gum. Despite this deformity, he is a handsome boy. He needs an orthodontist or oral surgeon to start moving his jaw and upper teeth into the proper position. This procedure and the required braces are not available in China, and his best hope for a bright future is adoption.

When I first met him, I was struck by his big brown eyes that followed us everywhere. We would catch him peeking around the door frame to watch us and the nurses work. When I brought sticker books and toys to play with, he investigated every one of them carefully and then handed them off to his friends to play with.  He also quickly figured out how to crank the head of the bed up and down and how to turn on and off the oxygen saturation monitor for us. We teasingly called him “Curious George” but soon we noticed the other side of him…the side that is compassionate and gentle.

Zachary had surgery before his friends and recovered quickly after his palate was repaired. He was up and exploring with his friends just hours after surgery.  After his friends had their surgeries the next day, he stuck close to them in their beds, gently patting them on their arms until they too were ready to join him in his adventures or observations of all the activity around them. He shared everything with them, including his food. He was so gentle and kind in his interactions with the babies that he seemed so much older than a two-year-old.

BFFs Yasmine and Zachary

Zachary, who is now three years old, is a curious, busy toddler who treasures his friends. We have been told that Zachary’s friends from the cleft surgery trip, Yasmine and Chloe, are soon to be adopted. Yasmine has recently joined her family in the Netherlands, and Chloe is soon to come to the United States. Another of Zachary’s friends is Grant, whose paperwork has not reached the shared list as yet.  Zachary is still waiting for that special family to see him and feel that he belongs in their family.

~Maureen Brogan, Cleft Surgery Coordinator

Love Without Boundaries proudly advocates for adoption but is not an adoption agency. We invite you to contact adoptionassistance@lwbmail.com with questions about a child we have featured and encourage you to contact your local adoption agency for more information about China’s Waiting Child Program.

This photo, coming in at #5 in the voting for our Top Ten Photos of 2011, was taken just a few weeks after Scotty had arrived to our healing home. It is pretty obvious from this photo how he felt about having his own dedicated nanny, good formula, and essential cleft bottles at his disposal. We are so happy to report that Scotty went on to not only find healing, but also his very own adoptive family in late 2011!

This photo was taken in May, about one month after returning to our Heartbridge Healing Home, a unit for babies who need more specialized care. At 14 months, finally able to spend some time on her tummy, Emily wasted no time learning how to “army crawl” around the room. By the time she left us in late October, Emily was pulling herself up to her feet and cruising around the furniture. However her preferred method of getting around was still crawling, which she could do very quickly. Emily just returned home with her new adoptive family to the U.S., and we all wish her every happiness in the world!

Sweet little Blaise from the Fujian Healing Home is in the hospital once again with pneumonia, and he is very sick. He was also hospitalized in January with pneumonia and bronchitis. This poor little guy has been having a rough time the last few months!

Blaise was one of the first babies to arrive at FHH when it opened this fall. We had intended to have his lip repaired during the October cleft surgery trip, but he was just too tiny and weak to be able to have surgery. In the top photo, you can see Blaise on the day he arrived.

After coming to FHH, Blaise started to gain weight as you can tell from his chubby cheeks in the photo above. Blaise was doing really well until his first bout of pneumonia. He was hospitalized for a week in December, and was then released back to the healing home. A few weeks later he was going to have his cleft lip repaired but he was still too congested and ended up back in the hospital with pneumonia again. He is still in the hospital and continues to have fevers. Please keep Blaise in your thoughts and prayers as he takes the time to heal.

If you would like to be a part of Blaise’s story of hope and healing, please click here.

Hi, I am Dalton and I’m three and a half years old!

I enjoy spending my days playing with toys, dancing, and singing. Going to school (at LWB’s Believe in Me — Jinjiang school) is also an important part of my day. At school I can introduce myself to others using my first and last name, and I get to exercise and play with other children.  I know my colors and am learning to follow directions well.

When you first meet me, I might cry a little because I am not familiar with you.  But once we get comfortable, you will see how lively and fun I am!

Dalton, is in Jinjiang, Fujian and he is waiting to be matched through the Waiting Child Program.   In 2007, Dalton had surgery in Shanghai on his back and also for hydrocephalus.  He experienced a very good recovery.  As you can see from the photos. he is a happy and active little boy who is just waiting to bring some fun to a family of his own.

Love Without Boundaries proudly advocates for adoption but is not an adoption agency. We invite you to contact adoptionassistance@lwbmail.com with questions about a child we have featured and encourage you to contact your local adoption agency for more information about China’s Waiting Child Program.

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!

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!

Today (Sunday), our team had a very busy day with their Chinese colleagues at the First Affiliated Hospital of Fujian University examining the children before the surgeries begin tomorrow. The nannies did their very best to keep each child happy while they waited for their turn to be seen by the doctors. Our team also gave several lectures today at the hospital. Dr. Ness spoke on bilateral cleft lip surgery, and Maureen Brogan gave a lecture on post op care. She told me today that the team is already having a wonderful time making new friends with the hospital staff. That is one of the wonderful extras that comes from these trips.
After the lectures, it was time to make sure the doctors had everything in place for the surgeries tomorrow. Suture and scalpels were organized, and Dr. Ness and Dr. Martin familiarized themselves with the OR. Meanwhile, our wonderful staff in China were kept busy with logistics and translating, and our medical director Richard Zhang was interviewed by several television crews about this joint US-China medical project.
Now on to the kids!

Some of you might recognize Fenn, from our Anhui cleft home. He was charming everyone today with his little grins. He loved the beanie babies that people donated and immediately made friends with our team. Dr. Ness feels his palate repair should go very well.
It was quickly discovered that Little Payton is one stubborn girl. When Dr. Ness tried to look at her palate, she tightened every single muscle in her jaw and quite simply refused to cooperate. It was only when he was leaving the room that she went up to him and opened her mouth so he could look!
We are so sad to report that Garret will not be having surgery on this trip. His prelabial tissue is gone and his maxilla is too far forward at the moment, so there is nothing to make an upper lip for him. He will need to have a special plastic device to apply pressure on the tissue upwards toward the nose before being able to have surgery. The doctors had a long discussion about his case. We are going to make sure his adoption paperwork is filed as quickly as possible, so hopefully he could be in a permanent home when he is ready for the repair.  Giving a caregiver the news that the child she has brought cannot receive surgery is always so difficult.  Everyone comes to these trips full of hope and excitement that their child will receive a better life through surgery, and when you have to break the news that the child doesn’t qualify….it is always very sad.

Blaise is also an unknown for surgery at this time. He has a very high white blood count and is very frail at the moment. His caregivers said he is very difficult to feed. We are going to continue one on one care over the next few days and make a decision later this week on whether he can have his operation.
We hope you’ll enjoy the following photos of some of the kids who have already arrived for surgery. Thank you all for thinking of the children and the medical team this week. We know so many lives will be changed!

Chloe – palate repair

Jesse – lip repair

Daisy – lip repair

Wade – lip repair

Whitney – lip repair

Harris – lip repair

Louise – lip repair

Dr. Martin examining little Jan – who doesn’t seem too pleased.

Thanks again for your thoughts and prayers for everyone involved with this important medical exchange. Children are still arriving, and we’ll have more news soon!

Sing to the mountains, sing to the sea !

Our sweet Song has been offered another $1000 in grant money towards his adoption…for a total of  $2500! The outpouring of love for this special boy from Fujian continues (please see our blog from July 5, “Grants for Adam and Song,” for more background on him). We are so overjoyed for him.

This little guy has the whole package:  humor, charm, looks and wit!  He is just “BRILLIANT” (the word used by our volunteers who met him).

His recent LWB visitors got such a kick of his bold personality and his outstanding capabilities.  We look forward to the day his family gets the sweet rewards this little guy brings to the world.

Please share Song’s story with others so that we can find his family.

Meg Montgomery is an Adoption Assistance Advocate for Love Without Boundaries. She is a social worker, living and working in Boston, MA.

Love Without Boundaries proudly advocates for adoption but is not an adoption agency. We invite you to contactadoptionassistance@lwbmail.com with questions about a child we have featured and encourage you to contact your local adoption agency for more information about China’s Waiting Child Program.