We hope that this adorable little baby boy will soon grow big and strong with his yummy, and nutritious, formula and loving hugs!

Christopher is in need of sponsors to support him at the Henan Healing Home. Sponsorships are typically $50 per month or $25 per month for shared sponsorships. Sponsors will receive monthly updates and photos of this sweet young boy. Good luck, Christopher!

• Sponsor Christopher at Henan Healing Home

In 2008 we adopted a little girl from China and were active at that time on the chat room for our agency. One of the moms on there always posted older kiddos in need of families and one of the children she posted was Aiden. He was 8 years old with achondroplasia dwarfism. I saw his picture and thought he was adorable! Since we weren’t adopting again, I prayed for him and went on with my life.

“Adorable Aiden”

The following spring, “Aiden” came back to my mind and hit me hard! I felt a little panicked about him and the urge to know if he had a family yet. I contacted my friend Karin again to see if she knew if he had a family. She jumped into action, and the emails flew back and forth for several days. I finally got the word…no family had chosen him.   I instantly started crying thinking of this sweet boy with no future and prayed hard.   I knew getting my husband on board for an adoption again was going to be tough. I broached the subject, and we prayed about it for a few days.  Finally, hubby said YES!!  Wooohooo!!  Although our boys were a little reluctant to add another sibling, once they heard about his dwarfism they were on board.   We haven’t looked back since and moved forward to adopt the little boy we would name JD.

We were so eager to get JD home, but reality was scary.  Would he accept us?  Would we accept him?,  Although achondroplasia is the most common type of dwarfism with little health risks, we wondered if we would be able to handle it or afford any problems that might occur.

Gotcha Day

In May 2011, we finally went to China to get JD. I traveled with my mom and my 16 year old son, and we all fell in love with JD the second he walked into the room.  He bonded so quickly with my older son and his grandma; however, he was more reserved with me.  I knew it would come and was right….he’s now a mama’s boy!   We were able to skype home to talk with his dad, other brother and new little sister, and it made our homecoming so much easier as he already “knew” them.   He had a few meltdowns while in China and also once we came home, but he was able to be consoled and kept that smile on his face. I do believe his size allowed the bonding process to happen more quickly as we needed to carry him at times.  At those times he hugged and kissed us freely (and vice versa).

JD’s transition to our family was remarkably smooth and easy.  He has really bonded and attached to us all and has made his spot in the family known. He is always smiling and asking many questions. JD and his younger sister do fight…quite a lot really, but then most siblings do!  He loves to play games, paint and color, play legos, ride his bike, and skateboard.

We have been to many medical specialists, and JD is a healthy, happy nine-year-old boy!  We have been involved with our local LPA (Little People of America) and have made many friends. JD is lucky to know other kids like him (with average parents) and also to have adults that are little people to be great role models for him. He is struggling a bit in school academically, and the school feels he should be farther along than he is.  However, he still goes eagerly each day and can’t wait to see friends and teachers.

For us, dwarfism has been easy! Our experience with an older child was great. We would recommend both and have no regrets. JD is part of our family for life, and we are proud to be his forever mom and forever dad.

~Steve and Liz Freeby

Jaimei and her parents

LWB’s Unity Fund was established to assist rural, impoverished families with medical costs they simply cannot afford for their children. We have helped nearly 20 families (most of whom had children requiring heart surgeries) through this fund. Over half of these requests for help came in 2011. To be sure the funds are being used appropriately, we require proof of poverty by Civil Affairs in China.   In fact, our China Medical director recently commented that, “they all looked very poor.  All of them.  In some way, these kids are in worse condition than orphanage kids, except that they have parents…” As we help more families, we believe that we are going to receive more and more requests.

Yao’s dad was so happy she was able to have her healing surgery.

Yao and her grandmother, thrilled to be leaving the hospital!

The families of Jaimei, Yao and Feng all were able to receive assistance through LWB’s Unity Fund.  Yao and Jaimei are both recovering from their heart surgeries, while travel arrangements are being made for Feng and his family.

Feng is still awaiting his surgery.

We would like to introduce you to two more children in need of our help: YiYi and Rui.

YiYi and her mother

YiYi is only four months old and has a serious heart defect. Her family has wiped out their savings to pay for her recent pneumonia treatment and cannot afford her heart surgery. They were desperate and felt the only way they might be able to save their daughter’s life was to give her up so she could receive the surgery she needs. LWB has committed to helping this family stay together by providing the heart surgery YiYi needs to live.

Rui is all smiles but needs surgery on his leg.

Smiley Rui has an arteriovenus fistula in his leg and needs a very specialized surgery that his family cannot afford.  Before discovering that Rui suffered from this condition, his family spent their life savings to pay for surgery for his father who has a very similar issue.

Both YiYi and Rui are in need of funding. If you would like to support LWB’s Unity Fund and the families of YiYi and Rui, please go to our Unity Fund donation page. Your donation will keep these families together and whole.

Just recently a very positive update on Jack was sent by his SWI. Jack is now six years old and is still with his caregivers in Henan province. The caregivers passed along how he enjoys books and has learned over 60 children’s songs and Tang Dynasty poems. Additionally, he can sing about 30 songs. He is writing over 50 characters now, can do addition, and knows many colors. He seems to enjoy communicating and learning from adults, and he particularly likes his teacher. When our staff met him back in 2007, they told us how he was so willing to give a hug and get close to those caring for him.

In 2007 Jack’s paperwork for adoption was processed, and he has waited unchosen on the shared list for quite some time. Many of us have been thinking about how best to advocate for this little boy. We realize that he will need a very special family as he will require lifestyle modifications within the family and frequent medical care and possible surgery. The risk of skin cancer is very real. Perhaps there is a family out there with a child who has XP who might open their hearts to another child with the same condition. Or perhaps a family will read his file and just know they would do whatever it takes to provide the care he needs.

Individuals with XP (a congenital condition) are very sensitive to ultraviolet rays as their body cannot repair damage caused b them.  Characteristics of the disease include dry and pigmented skin.  Unfortunately, the disease is also life-threatening due to the increased likelihood of metastatic skin cancer for these individuals.  Individuals with XP need to be seen very frequently by a dermatologist, and any suspicious lesions should be immediately biopsied and removed.  Proximity to this kind of medical care is essential.  Since we are all not physicians or medically knowledgeable, it is important to know that there are various resources and support groups available to help families and persons affected by conditions such as XP.   Reaching out and learning about needs that we do not know about is much easier these days with the internet of course, but, we have to be cautious about the sites from which we choose to gather information.  Obtaining a medical professional’s recommendations for the best sites/resources to review is always best.  These two websites typically have reliable medical information on XP:  XP Family Support Group and Medline Plus.

Although XP is a challenging diagnosis, we are very hopeful that just the right family is waiting for Jack!

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.

It’s difficult to think of anything cuter than a boy and his dog. Our always-smiling Patrick seems pretty thrilled to be holding a cuddly puppy! We actually think that Patrick is the one who looks cuddly.

Patrick, who turns 11 this year, lives with his adoring foster sister in our Kaifeng foster care program in Henan Province. This caring little boy always has fun with his little sister and everyone around him. He attends school and has a super personality. Patrick has cerebral palsy, which mainly affects his left arm. Everyone says what a good boy he is and comments on how he is always smiling…and from all of the great photos we have of him,they aren’t kidding about that! Imagine how truly happy he would be if he were to find his forever family.

This shot of Patrick seems to say, “What are you waiting for?! I’m trying my hardest to get your attention so you will realize that I will be a great son. If you are looking for a sign, then here it is! I am giving you the ‘I want to go fishing’ sign.”

So many people are pulling for Patrick to finally get his own family that two grants are available for his adoption. LWB is offering a grant for $1,000 towards his adoption expenses, and Grant Me A Chance is offering an additional $1,000 grant.

After all Patrick has been through, he is still smiling, which says a lot about his character and resilience. Take another look. Can you resist? Come on! We think it could be way more than puppy love!

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.

Daniel is full of personality! A resident of our Xinxiang foster care program in Henan, three-year-old Daniel races to heartily greet everyone who enters his household with an enthusiastic smile and welcome. His days are filled with playtime with his many friends, and most importantly to Daniel, time with Grandma.

Grandma is Daniel’s foster grandma and primary caretaker. As she is a little older, he respectfully refers to her as “Grandma.” Like grandmothers around the world, Daniel’s grandma wants to be certain that he is sufficiently warm and bundled up against the cold. In fact, the cute hat Daniel is wearing in the top photo (with “Happy Sheep,” one of his favorite cartoon characters, on the front) was a gift from Grandma…which Daniel made sure to tell our foster care manager. He really loves and appreciates his grandma!

Daniel was born with a form of congenital spina bifida for which he has had a surgery and currently has left lateral curvature of the spine. Please don’t remind Daniel about his special need, though.  He is as active as any other boy and has adapted extremely well to his disability. Recently Grandma took him to a local supermarket where there was a trampoline set up, and he immediately rushed over to begin playing on it with the other kids. He had a wonderful time!

Daniel’s grandma and foster family tell us that they love him and hope he has a chance for a happy life. Now that he is on the shared list, his chances for that are good!   Please help us spread the word that Daniel is waiting for his family. His big personality and gregarious, fun-loving nature will surely bring joy to his forever family!

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.

My name is Nicholas, and I am still waiting for my family.   I have just learned that there is an additional $3,000 grant for my adoption expenses, which brings my grant total to $5,000! (Grant Me A Chance is offering $2,000, and LWB is offering the new grant of $3,000.)

Let me tell you a little bit about myself in case you’ve forgotten or we’ve never “met.”  I’m twelve years old and live with a family in LWB’s Kaifeng foster care program in Henan Province. Learning and drawing are some of my favorite things to do.

I love my foster brother and just about everyone else!  When some nice ladies from LWB visited me this past summer, I sang for them and told them how much I would like my own family.  I think they liked my song.  I was happy for my other foster brothers and sisters when they were adopted, but it was also hard as I keep hoping that I’ll receive a family too.  At age twelve, I’m still not too old and really want my very own family!

If you want to know anything more about me, you can read my first blog profile, A Chance for Nicholas, or contact another nice LWB lady at adoptionassistance@lwbmail.com.

I am so excited to share the news of my adoption grant with everyone and hope you will also share it with your friends.

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.

On the fourth day of Christmas, we are grateful for the hundreds of foster families who work with LWB to provide one-on-one care to orphaned children. We believe that babies do best when raised in a loving family setting, and we have seen absolute transformations occur when children are moved from a crowded institution into their very own family. Recently, our foster care director visited every child in our program in both Henan and Anhui provinces, and she came back to tell us again what child development experts have written many times. Emotionally, kids need to know that they are safe and cared for and that they can trust the people in their lives. That is the goal of our foster care program, to allow orphaned children to have moms and dads and grandparents and siblings – so they can grow up in the warmth of family life. We loved this photo of little Aiden, who is in our Zhang Village program in Anhui, as it clearly shows the bonds that form through foster care.

You can imagine how my heart swelled at his sweet face!

I wondered why he had been waiting many months for a family to match with him. It turned out that Andrew was born with a form of spina bifida, which is a life-long condition, making Andrew’s chances of finding a family slimmer than many other children. So, writing a post about Andrew became more challenging than I thought it would be.

Adoption is certainly about the desire to parent, but, when it comes to adopting children with known medical conditions, it is also about access to resources, as well as ability and desire to care for the child’s need. Andrew’s photos depict a happy little boy about to turn four years old. Yet, he requires more than many other children his age. What he needs is a committed family, with the resources, time and energy to care for him. Might someone fall in love with his sweet rosy cheeks and not realize the full extent of his needs? Or is there a family who will read this post and be prepared to parent and care for Andrew?

I read up on Andrew’s condition (meningocele/myelomeningocele), and I will admit it was a bit daunting. I wondered how an orphanage could care for this child the way that he needs to be cared for as he surely needs more one-on-one attention than I imagine they are able to provide. I realize now why his original foster mother decided he should go back to the orphanage; she felt she could not manage his care and wanted someone else to do more for him. It’s very obvious that Andrew’s very best chance at minimizing any deformities/difficulties and maximizing his capabilities in life requires a family.

Physical, occupational and speech therapy are important for children with Andrew’s medical needs. Everything I read about spina bifida says it is likely that the child will need a team of medical experts working with him after they are discharged from the hospital. Apparently, how well a child does depends a lot on the initial condition of their spinal cord and nerves; however, as time goes on, the full extent of a person’s needs will reveal themselves. Children born with myelomeningocele can often have paralysis or weakness of the muscles below the level of their spine where the defect is. As we have learned in Andrew’s case, he does not have function from his waist down. It is likely he will need medical and educational support for many years.

Andrew, just as his western name implies, is a little warrior. What a trooper, to have been through this intense surgical repair for his spina bifida, and yet be able to show us his goofy side.

To have such a light in his eyes!

Some of our volunteers visited Andrew recently and commented on how well he appeared to be doing. Without the ability to function from the waist down, he does not walk. However, like your typical toddler, he loves to play with his friends. He tends to get along well with other children, plays nicely and is not rough. In fact, he is quite well-behaved. The adults who are caring for him appreciate the fact that they rarely need to coax him into anything; he listens well and is and flexible.

Andrew is a bit shy around strangers, but he is polite and very happy to see our regular staff when they are able to visit him.

For Andrew, there are not many long-term opportunities for him, even though his needs are completely physical. I wish I could see what the future holds for this little warrior, but alas I have no crystal ball or real psychic capabilities…so for now, I hope to share the joy of Andrew’s sweet-faced personality and information on his needs with the hope that the rest will fall into place for him.

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 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.

Billy (who was featured in last week’s blog, “Billy’s Fight”), is a little boy in desperate need of help. He has only been on this earth for ten short weeks, and he has been through more than most people go through in a long lifetime. Billy was born with a heart defect called Tetralogy of Fallot (ToF). ToF has at least four typical defects of the anatomy of the heart and Billy had a pretty serious case. He was sent to LWB’s Heartbridge Pediatric Unit with the hope he could grow a bit more before surgery, but he soon went into cardiac distress and we knew we had to move him for surgery immediately.

Billy was sent to a top-rated pediatric hospital in Shanghai to receive the best surgical care available. Billy made it through his surgery but, once again, went into distress during his recovery. He fought his way back but needed a ventilator to breathe. Last week we were told Billy was going into multiple-organ failure and the doctors were not hopeful. This news hit all of us hard, especially since these were the same doctors that didn’t give up hope with our little Marisol who was on a ventilator for almost two months this summer. If these wonderful doctors felt it was hopeless, we felt nearly sure we were going to lose him.

But, hope is a funny thing. It defies all logic and reason and shines light when it seems there is only darkness. Billy has HOPE! He is fighting for his life and he is WINNING! He opened his eyes and his liver and kidneys started to function again when we thought all was lost. Billy has been abandoned, pulled through cardiac distress TWICE, survived open heart surgery and multiple organ failure—and he is still here!

Billy’s medical bills are quite high and are rising every day that he is in the hospital. We would appreciate any and all help towards this little fighter’s medical expenses. To help Billy, please donate here.