It’s that time of year again—time for LWB’s Mini Christmas Auction to help provide medical care for orphaned and impoverished children in China. Recently we have been inundated with requests for help from impoverished families whose children are in desperate need of life-saving heart surgeries. One story in particular really illustrates how much our Unity Fund can mean to a family trying to stay together during very difficult times.
In 2005 one of the LWB directors was traveling to our cleft exchange in Henan Province. On the train he saw a young couple holding a baby boy with cleft lip, and the mother was quite distraught. After watching them for a while, he introduced himself and asked where they were going. It was then that the mom broke down and told him that they were from a province far out west. They did not have the funds to pay for the surgery to repair their baby’s cleft lip, and so their extended family had told them that they must abandon the child so as not to bring shame to the family. They were so ashamed by what they felt they had to do that they were traveling all the way across China to abandon him. When our director called to let us know what was happening on the train, we decided to encourage the couple bring him to the cleft exchange site so that our medical team could repair their baby’s lip. Instead of returning home to their home province in despair, they joyfully returned home with a baby who had been healed. For many years we have remained in touch with them, and the family is doing beautifully. It was experiences like this chance encounter that made us realize that perhaps we could help rural families stay together, instead of having to make the terrible and tragic decision to abandon their child in the hopes that their children would then receive medical care.
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.
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“Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a harder battle.” – Plato
Last week the medical program was notified about a family in desperate need of help from our Unity Fund. A husband and his pregnant wife went to a new city to look for work. The wife was orphaned at the age of eight and suffered heart disease. Because they were so poor, the wife insisted she keep working despite her pregnancy and poor health. Several weeks ago, their baby arrived prematurely and, sadly, the mother died during childbirth. This very poor young man now had to pay for a funeral for his wife and also the mounting medical bills to save the life of his child.
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Last November, a very sick newborn baby boy was found at an Anhui orphanage (“A Baby Alone”). He was born with anal atresia and required immediate surgery to survive. The orphanage called us, and thanks to our generous donors, LWB was able to provide him with this surgery. We gave him the name of Corey, which means “God’s peace.”
During his initial surgery, his birthmother was found and came forward (you can read more about her difficult circumstances on the blog, “An Update on Baby Corey.”) It was with great joy that mother and baby were reunited.
We want to update you on baby Corey and his mom. For those who haven’t followed the story, baby Corey came into our hands after his birthmom panicked when she saw that he was born needing emergency medical treatment. The orphanage where he was left called us immediately to see if we could provide surgery, and thanks to our great supporters, Corey received the first stage surgery right away. Sadly, his mother ended up in the hospital in another province after she became extremely ill following the delivery.
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We want to thank everyone who donated with such kindness to help baby Corey, the newborn who was left following his birth with a serious medical condition.
His first stage surgery went beautifully, and the doctors said he will not need another operation until two months later.
Our director in Anhui spoke several times by phone with the mom’s cousin and convinced him to come to the hospital today. We learned what we expected. The child’s mom is very poor (she worked as a cook at a temporary construction site), and, after delivering her son, she knew she could not afford the medical care for such a sick child. That is why she panicked and abandoned the baby boy. Read more.
We are so grateful to everyone who helps make our Unity Fund for impoverished families in China a reality. This fund was a dream of ours for a long time, as rural families who could not afford medical care for their children would occasionally ask us if their children would qualify for surgery if they were orphaned. Our goal with this medical fund was to help keep families together – and we celebrate each and every time we are able to provide life changing medical care to families in need.
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When 8 year old Ping’s father was told his little girl needed surgery for her heart condition, he and his wife were devastated and did not know how they could provide for her care.
When LWB started its Unity Fund this year, we hoped to help rural families who otherwise couldn’t afford medical care, with the ultimate goal of keeping families together. We have met many families who have touched us deeply in the past and hoped to be able to help other families like them. Many people gave [...]
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