Christi came into LWB care under dire circumstances. Born with her liver and intestines on the outside of her body, she had been abandoned and brought to an orphanage in Anhui. Christi was rushed to the hospital for emergency surgery. Thankfully, she proved what a fighter she is.
This week, we continue to highlight some of the exciting developments in our foster care program.
Yesterday we shared A Year with Val, a story about a ten-month-old girl who came into our care in January of 2016 and has since graduated to foster care after a year of struggles and surgeries. Today we want to share the story of another girl whose story is quite different — yet just as inspiring.
In October, we received a call from an orphanage. They had just received a baby girl who had been abandoned with a rare condition in which her intestines and liver were outside her body. Read more.
Over the last 13 years, orphanages in China have learned that they can trust LWB’s Medical program when they have an emergency with a child in their care. Typically these emergencies involve babies who were recently abandoned, possibly due to medical needs that were too overwhelming or expensive for their birth families to handle and require urgent medical attention.
Jordy is one such baby. His orphanage called us in September to ask for help with a baby who was dehydrated and had a very distended stomach. In the case of dehydration in a newborn like Jordy, every minute medical care is delayed can make the difference between life and death. Read more.
A new baby is like the beginning of all things: wonder, hope, a dream of possibilities. ~Eda J. Leshan
I remembered this quote last Friday, when my newest grandson was born into the world. Baby Eldridge is doing well now, after a few days in the NICU under the bilirubin lights for severe jaundice. He should be discharged later today to go home with his very proud parents. Just a day or so after his birth, a tiny baby girl came into the world as well, this time in China, and her beginning was certainly different than my grandson’s.
An orphanage in Anhui called us last weekend about a newborn they had just received who was in trouble. Read more.
This photo is the very first one taken of Little Joe.
Many of you might remember that Little Joe was born in late summer of 2014 with his intestines on the outside of his body — a rare condition called gastroschisis. Sadly, before he was found by the police, he was exposed to the elements, and part of his intestine dried out. Read more.
What does it take to turn a tiny baby into a cute, healthy and social boy? Little Joe would probably tell you that as much as he appreciates excellent medical care and the love of his healing home nanny, a bottle of special formula does the trick!
Little Joe was born with his intestines outside of his body, a condition known as gastroschisis. Sadly, his intestines were exposed to the air overnight, drying a portion of them out. Read more.
Late last fall, we were asked to help a newborn baby boy who had been found with his intestines on the outside of his body (a condition called gastroschisis). We named him “Little Joe,” and he was rushed to the provincial children’s hospital to begin the process of putting everything back where it belonged.
Read more.
Our social media pages and website are filled with photos of beautiful children who generally look happy and healthy. However, it’s sometimes easy to forget that most of these children came into LWB care because they were in medical crisis.
Christi
Children like Christi and Little Joe, who were born with their organs on the outside of their bodies…who after months of hospital care are now thriving with the love and attention of our Healing Home nannies. Read more.
Those of you who follow us on social media know that this fall, we took in two babies, one right after the other, who were born with a rare birth defect called Gastroschisis.
These babies were found with their intestines on the outside of their bodies, which happens when the muscles which make up a baby’s abdominal wall don’t form properly. Scientists believe this happens approximately during the fourth week of pregnancy, and while no one knows for sure the exact cause, a high percentage (at least in the U.S.) are born to teenage moms. I still remember the very first baby we took in with this condition, as I stared at my computer for quite a long while thinking, “That just isn’t possible.” Now of course I know that while rare (approximately 1 in every 5,000 births), babies with this condition can do very well with immediate treatment. Read more.
