Tiny Brody is the newest addition to our Heartbridge family. He was born in late November with a serious abdominal blockage. By the time Brody came into orphanage care a week later, he was in critical condition. Fortunately LWB’s medical team was able to arrange for emergency surgery the very next day. While our volunteers awaited news on Brody’s condition, we all hoped and prayed that this sweet baby boy would survive.

Brody not only made it through surgery, he surprised everyone by recovering in record time. After just ten days in the hospital, Brody was able to be discharged to our Heartbridge Healing Home to continue healing. Brody needs frequent small feedings, lots of sleep, and plenty of TLC to help him grow and thrive. This is where you come into the picture: You can help make a huge impact on Brody’s life through your sponsorship of $25 or $50 per month. We will provide monthly photos and updates on Brody’s progress so you can follow his story and see for yourself what a difference you are making in his life. Won’t you help Brody have his chance for health and happiness?

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!

Today we celebrate little Marisol, who fought so hard following her heart surgery and beat all the odds. This gorgeous little girl, who spent many months on a respirator, is now charming everyone who meets her at our Heartbridge Healing Home. We give thanks for true second chances.

Diana weighed a scant 3.5 kg (7.7 pounds) upon her arrival in February… much too small for a three-month-old baby. Over the next seven months Diana managed to gain nearly six pounds, but she is still very delicate. She was sent to a Hong Kong specialist in August and then returned to Heartbridge when it was discovered that she had additional exposed organs and also spina bifida (a tethered spinal cord). Surgery will be much more complicated now; so Diana needs to put on a few more pounds. We hope that she will be ready for her operation right around her first birthday in November. Several additional sponsors are needed to fund Diana’s nurturing care and to help her down the path to health, healing, and happiness.

Typical sponsorships are $50 per month or $25 per month for a shared sponsorship, but your one-time or ongoing donation in any amount will be greatly appreciated. Please click here to learn more about sponsoring Diana!

The first thing I thought when I read through Hannah’s reports and saw her photos from this past year was “WOW!” This amazing little girl has come such a long way. I have often wondered where the strength to survive comes from in a child who was as small as Hannah was when she came into our care. Is there truly an innate strength each person is born with that is called upon when they are distressed?

You can read more about Hannah’s early days at Heartbridge in last year’s blog and see not only her strong will but her bubbly personality, physical strength, sweet manner, and beautiful smile throughout this photo collection.

We understand that Hannah has been waiting for a family for a month or two now. It is likely that her multiple needs are intimidating: a diagnosis of Pierre Robbin Syndrome; dextrocardia, cleft lip, and deformity of the tongue. We cannot assure anyone of her future health, but we can tell you that she has had surgery in 2010 to repair a VSD and just this month for her cleft lip. In addition, she is learning to walk independently and is learning sign language. There is no doubt that Hannah is full of life! The nannies are often saying what a happy and affectionate little girl she is.

It is an understatement to say that being part of an organization that helps to restore and maintain the health of children in need is rewarding. And witnessing the transformation of the whole child is truly awe-inspiring and poignant, each and every time.

Since Hannah is currently waiting for a family, we are happy to share the agency who has her file if you contact us at adoptionassistance@lwbmail.com. Here’s to hoping that one of my next “WOW!” moments might be hearing that Hannah’s family has found her.

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

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.

Evan was from southern China, from an orphanage who was new to international adoption and whose staff were a bit nervous about handing over one of their babies to us for care, even though they knew he had a very severe heart defect. The director of the orphanage called our team in China many times, making sure our healing home would be a nice place for Evan to live, and wanting reassurance that we would care for him gently.

Evan when he first came into LWB hands

Evan came to live at our Heartbridge healing unit, and he went through a successful first stage heart surgery. He then tolerated us making him look like a pirate when we started patching for his lazy eye. And through it all – he smiled and smiled – and touched the hearts of everyone who met him.

I was last with Evan in March – and we got to cheer him on as he showed off his walking skills by pushing a baby walker across the room. His nanny was so proud of him, and it was very clear that he was so in love with her. I left Beijing knowing that Evan was in a wonderful place, but I also knew that he was on the special needs adoption list – and that he still had not been chosen. All of us were determined to help him find a permanent home, and so many people helped spread the news that he needed a family. I am so sad that he never got to meet his very own mom and dad through adoption. But I know I speak for so many of us that we are honored to have been his family during his short time on this earth. Without a doubt – Evan was loved and cherished, and his achievements were celebrated. I love knowing that his cute photos are on many people’s refrigerators and desks. He didn’t leave this world unknown.

I would like to thank everyone who worked so hard to advocate for him to find a family. I want to thank his supporters and sponsors who funded his heart surgery and his stay at Heartbridge. To everyone who lifted this child up and sent prayers for his well being – I am deeply grateful. Every child’s life is just so important, and beautiful Evan reminds us all that we can never stop working to give these incredible children a chance to be loved. 

Evan – you will be so missed – and you absolutely will not be forgotten.

Amy Eldridge, Executive Director

Diana is a tiny little peanut who was born with “bladder exstrophy,” meaning that her bladder is on the outside of her body instead of inside where it belongs. She was born in November and came to our Heartbridge home in mid-February. Diana will need to have a very long and complicated surgery that is not even available in mainland China. We are so grateful that she will be able to travel to Hong Kong for surgery with the MedArt group that recently helped another Heartbridge baby, little Emily.

Above you can see Diana on the day of her arrival at Heartbridge. Our first order of business was to clear up a severe case of diaper rash and help Diana put on some weight. In her first six weeks, she has gained over two pounds, but she is still not up to a safe weight for surgery.

Diana is still in need of sponsors to help fund her nurturing care, both before and after surgery. All of her sponsors will receive monthly updates and photographs. If you would like to be a part of Diana’s story of hope and healing, please click here.

So much has changed since we last featured adorable Evan in our November blog! The most noticeable difference of course is his fashionable new pirate look, courtesy of the ophthalmology department at Beijing United Hospital. Evan’s left eye tends to turn inward, so his right eye is being patched to help him strengthen those left eye muscles. He will most likely need a surgical procedure as well, which will probably be scheduled after his echocardiogram this month.

And that brings us to the most important change in Evan’s life, and the one that can’t be seen: His heart is doing so much better than expected, and the surgery that we thought he would need as soon as possible can now wait for up to NINE YEARS! Evan’s heart looks so good that his cardiologist took him off three different medications and now Evan only needs to take aspirin on a daily basis.

Now that Evan’s heart is doing so much better, he is also making great developmental strides at our Heartbridge Pediatric Healing Unit. At thirteen months of age, Evan is quite active. He sits well without support, he does the “army crawl” to reach for a person or toy, and he can also roll quickly in either direction. If Evan wishes to move faster, he can truck all over the room in his walker. He smiles and giggles easily, will wave bye-bye when someone leaves the room, and loves to play peek-a-boo. Evan is not saying any words yet, but he babbles away and gives our nurse the impression that he is calling her over.

Evan has come so far since his arrival in June. It has been such a joy to watch his progress, and now that he is on the shared list, we all look forward to the day that we learn Evan has been chosen for adoption. Don’t let that pirate persona fool you; Evan is a sweet and gentle fellow who will be a real blessing to some family out there. Could it be yours?

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.

Marisol, the sweet little girl who fought so bravely for her life this summer, once again needs your help. Since her post-surgery return to our Heartbridge Pediatric Healing Unit in late September, Marisol has battled through five different respiratory infections, and last week she was admitted to the hospital with a severe case of pneumonia. We are very happy to report that Marisol has been discharged back to Heartbridge, but her week-long stay left us with a medical bill of more than $9,000.

Marisol first came to us in May of 2010. Only four months old at the time, Marisol had already been hospitalized once with pneumonia, and doctors felt she would not survive the heart catheterization needed to accurately diagnose her heart defect. She was so terribly fragile, but we prayed that if we could give this beautiful girl the time and care and love needed to grow stronger, we might be able to save her life. So Marisol was sent to Heartbridge where we hoped that several months of nurturing care would make her strong enough for surgery. Unfortunately our hopes were dashed when Marisol went into respiratory distress just a few weeks later. We realized that Marisol didn’t have several months, and we moved her to Shanghai immediately for her heart cath and a difficult surgery.

You may remember hearing the story of how Marisol could not be weaned from the ventilator for over two months, but she somehow fought her way back and earned the nickname of Mighty Marisol. While Marisol has shown her sheer determination to live, over and over, it is obvious that she still needs every bit of help we can give her in order to survive and thrive. If you are able, please help us to continue fighting for Marisol. This is a child who has captured so many hearts with her sweet and gentle personality, and she is truly a blessing to this world.

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

Emily is a beautiful nine-month-old girl from Fujian Province who was born with a rare birth defect called bladder exstrophy. This means that Emily’s abdominal wall didn’t close properly in utero and part of her bladder is exposed and protrudes from the abdominal wall. As you can imagine, it can be difficult to care for a child with this condition which is why we immediately sent her to our Heartbridge Pediatric Healing Unit in Beijing. At Heartbridge, Emily has received the care she needs to remain healthy while she waits for her chance to travel to Hong Kong where she will receive a highly complex and specialized surgery by the world-renowned surgeons at MedArt. Emily will need to stay in Hong Kong for six weeks and will then return to Heartbridge to continue her recovery under the watchful eye of Dr. Joyce Hill and Dr. Steve Martin at Heartbridge.

Emily is scheduled to travel to Hong Kong sometime in February. Her caregivers are going to miss her beautiful smile and her ballerina moves while she is gone, but this is an extraordinary chance for this little girl to receive surgery from the best surgeons in the field.

If you would like to be part of Emily’s healing, please click here.