Children's amazing stories
We met Philip, who was born on February 9, 2006, when he was 3 months old. He had spina bifida and hydrocephalus. Unable to have him transferred to New Day at the time, we were saddened the next year to see that the orphanage had been unable to get him medical assistance locally 每 the surgery was too complicated for the local hospital 每 and his conditions had worsened rapidly. The lump on his back from spina bifida was the size of a softball, and his head had grown to 53 cm in circumference. We brought him to Beijing for surgery. Both surgeries were successful, though the surgeon told us that an MRI revealed that he only had a 2 cm rim of brain tissue around the inside of his skull remaining; the entire center of his brain had been filled with water. They told us he was severely brain damaged. However, as Philip recuperated from the surgeries, the doctors were amazed to find him alert and responsive. Today he responds to and tries to kiss his foster mother and interacts with other people 每 none of which should be possible. The doctors think it is a miracle, and we agree!
Four months before his second birthday, Seth was abandoned at the gate of the local orphanage. When we met Seth shortly after his arrival at the orphanage, he was a sad little boy who was clearly grieving the loss of everything familiar. We were immediately struck by his strong resemblance to Paul, a little boy who lived at New Day and died the previous year during heart surgery, so when we learned Seth had the same heart condition as Paul, we were surprised. The orphanage, knowing the surgery was too complicated to be performed locally, asked us to help Seth. While we knew we wanted to help him, taking home a child who both looked like and had the same issues as Paul was not easy to do; we were scared to go down the same road twice. However, we knew we had to help. When Seth arrived at New Day, he was very weak and cyanotic from lack of oxygen. Two months later he was able to have surgery. The surgery went very well; in 2008, Seth will have the second, more serious heart surgery. We hope that the second surgery goes as smoothly as the first so that Seth will have a long and happy life.
Jeremy, who was born on March 11, 2006, came to New Day with two medical needs. The first was a large umbilical polyp and the second was hypospadia. Both were successfully treated, but after Jeremy＊s surgery for the umbilical polyp, he developed pneumonia. While being treated at the hospital, the doctors discovered that half of his left lung was not functioning, a condition called pulmonary sequestration, and he also had a 10.2 mm hole in his heart. Both of these problems were unknown before this time! We did surgery to correct the pulmonary sequestration right away, but the doctor feared it did not go well. After completing the surgery, he sadly told us that Jeremy wouldn＊t live through the night. But Jeremy pulled through and 10 days later, he came home from the hospital. In March 2007, we took him in to have heart surgery, but the shocked doctors told us it was no longer necessary because the 10.2 mm hole had shrunk to 5 mm. Watching little Jeremy toddle happily around our home, we are so thankful that we brought him home to New Day, where he was able to have treatment for life-threatening conditions that might never have been discovered until it was too late.
Vanessa is another of our little heart babies. Born March 14, 2007, she was diagnosed with Tetrology of Fallot and ASD and came to live at New Day shortly after she was abandoned. In July of 2007, she had what was supposed to be a 4-hour, fairly routine heart surgery. During the course of the surgery, her heart was placed on bypass. When the surgery was complete and the doctors took her off bypass, they were unable to restart her heart. After evaluating the situation, the surgeon realized that the pressure in her pulmonary arteries was too high. They immediately put her back on bypass and began to do a second, unplanned surgery to correct the arteries. The entire process took 10 hours. When the tired doctor finally came to give us an update, he was not hopeful. He said her blood pressure was too low and her circulation wasn＊t good; he told us her heart might stop at any moment. However, Vanessa pulled through the night and began to show signs of improvement the next day. Today, she is another one of our healthy babies and a true success story!
Olivia, who is 3 years old, arrived at New Day in October of 2007. She was brought to the orphanage only 6 months prior to her arrival at New Day, probably because her parents knew they could not obtain the medical care Olivia needed to save her life. Olivia had 2 holes in her heart; a VSD of 32 mm and an ASD of 10 mm -- by far the largest VSD we've ever faced. When she arrived, Olivia's heartbeat was 40 beats per minute (normal is 100-120), making it necessary that we send her to the hospital right away. At the hospital, the staff found that while she was sleeping, the rate would fall to the 20s; so low that they needed to wake her up to keep her alive. When meeting with the surgeon, he told us that normally children with this severe a heart condition do not live beyond 1 month after birth. Going into major heart surgery while also grieving the loss of her family and handling the stress of multiple moves in 6 months, little Olivia faced a tremendous hurdle, and we were all concerned about whether or not she had the will to live. We've learned that she is a fighter, and the surgery was a big success. They were able to correct both problems, and they installed a permanent pacemaker. Now, Olivia has a hope and a future, and we can't wait to see what it holds.
Though we knew she was born on May 30, 2006 and was 3 months old, Felicity was as tiny as a 1-month-old baby when we brought her to New Day. On the overnight train home to Beijing, we woke up throughout the night to check and make sure she was still breathing, as she was in such poor health that we were concerned she wouldn＊t make it through the night. Felicity was diagnosed with a heart disease and umbilical hernia, and when she arrived at New Day, she weighed only 6.34 pounds. We needed to wait until she was healthier to treat her medical needs. In March of 2007, when she was healthy enough to have her heart surgery performed, we were sent home from the hospital by the doctor when he found that the 6.5mm hole in her heart was completely healed! Furthermore, her umbilical hernia is getting better and better, too, and the doctor has said that she will not need surgery for that, either. Seeing Felicity change from a tiny baby with a small chance at life, to a pretty, chubby little girl with a bright future〞all without any medical intervention〞has been an amazing thing to watch.
Stacey was born on October 3, 2005 and abandoned 10 days later. She was diagnosed with anal atresia, a birth defect resulting in no anal opening, and underwent emergency colostomy surgery. When Stacey was 23 days old, she arrived at New Day weighing 5 pounds. She would need 2 surgeries; one for anal, vagina and urethra reconstruction and the second to reverse her colostomy. When Stacey was two years old, she was finally able to have the first 15-hour surgery. The doctor left Stacey with a colostomy, intending to wait at least one year to perform the second surgery so that her body could fully heal. However, within 2 months of the first surgery, we knew she couldn＊t wait a year because she was not getting enough nutrition; she had to undergo painful therapies; and she was very unhappy because she wasn＊t able to eat what the other children ate. We had her evaluated for the second surgery, and the doctor agreed to go ahead and perform it, 10 months ahead of schedule. The surgery was very successful, and within a few weeks, she started to gain weight. Now, she can eat all the foods the other children enjoy, and she is a beautiful and happy little lady!
When Jacob arrived at New Day, he was a sickly, skinny little boy in need of heart surgery. Unfortunately we could not provide him with the heart surgery he needed right away because he had pneumonia. Jacob spent his first few months at New Day in and out of ICU trying to get over an infection, but because he was malnourished, his body could not fight off the infection and it spread to his heart. This caused Jacob＊s heart to become abnormally enlarged, making the heart surgery he needed completely impossible. Doctors recommended a treatment that would eventually bring Jacob's heart back to normal size. However this treatment was costly and would take a year to complete 每 and, according to doctors, would probably not even work! We decided it was a chance we had to take. We brought Jacob back to New Day and began the treatment, praying for a miracle. A month later we took Jacob in for another check-up, and we received our miracle. Not only was Jacob's heart back to normal size, but the hole in his heart was closing on its own. He no longer needed surgery and today is a vibrant, healthy little boy today who enjoys living with his new family who adopted him in January 2007.
Chloe was first noticed by a family that was at the Hohhot orphanage to adopt another child. As soon as this family could, they contacted us to see if we could help Chloe. Chloe is a beautiful albino girl who had severe developmental and behavioral problems. When Chloe came to us, she was five years old and could not speak or interact very well with people. Chloe's condition was caused mainly by a lack of stimulation in her developmental years. After being with us for a short time, she began to utter her first words and interact with the other children. Within a short time of living at New Day, Chloe was no longer deathly afraid of new situations and experiences, and thankfully she was adopted in May 2007 by a wonderful and loving family in the United States!
Eve is a beautiful young lady who was born into a silent world on July 15, 2003. Because of her deafness, she was abandoned and sent to a nearby orphanage. For two years, this delightful little girl was unable to hear what was going on around her. Eve came to New Day after her Cochlear Implant surgery was completed. She came to Beijing so that she could receive the regular adjustments to the implants that she needed. The new ※loud§ world was scary! She cried whenever her caregiver turned on her speech processor. However, after a short time, she grew accustomed to being able to hear. It wasn＊t long before she started talking! She was always an outgoing little girl who loved being around people, but the Cochlear Implant did make it easier for her to interact with others and she became even friendlier. Eve is a charming little girl who won our hearts with her delightful disposition. We are so thankful that she was adopted in October 2005 and knows the joys of being treasured by a family.
Abby was born on February 6, 2003 with little hope of a normal healthy life. She had a severe cleft lip, tumors on her head and in her nose, and hydrocephalus. Things began to look up for her two weeks later when she came to live at New Day Foster Home. On April 15, 2003 she was able to undergo her first corrective surgery. She continued to undergo a variety of surgeries throughout the next year until the last one was finally completed on July 8, 2004. It was wonderful to see the changes that took place in this little girl＊s life. Right before our eyes, Abby changed from a very timid baby who was afraid of so many things, including unfamiliar people, into a very outgoing, active little girl who actually enjoyed being around visitors! Now the transformation is complete, as she was adopted by a loving family in March 2007. Like so many of our children, to look at her now, you＊d never guess the journey her life has taken her on.
Brett is one of our miracle children. When he arrived at New Day Foster Home on January 11, 2005, little did we know what was in store for this precious little boy. Within the first hour of his arrival, he was rushed to the emergency room. He was turning bluer by the minute and was having an extremely difficult time breathing. When he arrived at the Beijing Children＊s Hospital, he was immediately admitted into the Intensive Care Unit. The medical staff told us that he was suffering from malnutrition, bronchitis, pneumonia, a serious heart condition, bed sores, and a hernia. The doctor informed us that he had a very slim chance of making it through the night. Thankfully, Brett had an extremely strong will to live and fought very hard for his life. Four months later, after repeated hospital stays, Brett had gained enough weight to be able to have the much-needed heart surgery. After the life-saving operation, Brett became a completely different child. He grew more alert and more interested in his surroundings. We grew to love Brett dearly, and his time with us went by so quickly! He was adopted in September 2006 by a loving family in the USA.
When we saw Matthew in one of the local orphanages, we knew we had to help him. He was born with a tumor on the right side of his face that continued to grow with each passing month. On November 15, 2002, he came to live with us here at New Day Foster Home. Four months later, on March 19, 2003, he received an operation during which much of the tumor was removed. On June 24, 2004, he underwent radiation treatment to help keep the tumor from growing back. Matthew is an observant young boy who pays close attention to details. Whenever he notices something that is not right, he likes to make sure that the ※problem§ is fixed. He is very meticulous about taking care of everything that is around him, especially items that belong to him. Before he was adopted, his soon-to-be adoptive mother sent him a box of toys. Each time he played with them, he made sure that they were carefully put back in the box. Matthew was so excited when his adoptive family arrived on November 6, 2005; we are so thankful that now he does not have to face his medical challenges without the loving care of his very own family!
Daniel is a very special little boy who has already faced many complications in his short life. When he was born on August 10, 2003, he suffered from hydrocephalus and spina bifida. When we first saw him, it was love at first sight - we immediately were taken by his cute personality and knew that we needed to come to his aid. On April 8, 2004, after being released from the hospital following a seven hour surgery in Shanghai, he came to live with us at New Day Foster Home. He arrived very weak and was scared by all of the changes. He didn＊t like interacting with people and faced developmental delays due to his many problems. After many hours of tender loving care, Daniel started opening up and responding to what was happening all around him. When he was ten months old, he finally was able to sit up on his own and feed himself small finger foods. Even though this is normal for children his age, we were thrilled to see Daniel be able to do these normal activities. As Daniel grew older, his strong, fighting spirit became even more apparent, as he learned how to walk with the assistance of a walker and patiently completed several hours of physical therapy every day. In December 2007, Daniel was adopted 每 fulfilling his dream of someday having a family of his own. We are so happy for Daniel and are excited to see all that his future holds.
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