Name: Philip
Birthdate: February 9, 2006

On February 9, 2006, Philip was born and abandoned at the out-patient clinic of the local traditional Chinese medical hospital. He was sent to the local orphanage, and they determined he had slight hydrocephalus and spina bifida. His hydrocephalus worsened, to the point that the regional hospital could not help him. We realized his only hope for survival would be to come to New Day Foster Home. On May 13, 2007, Philip joined our family. The doctors in Beijing did not give us much hope for his condition, saying that his hydrocephalus was so severe he suffered irreversible brain damage. They told us he would always be a in a vegetative state. We pressed forward with the surgery and are thankful to say that he is certainly no vegetable! He is an active and smart little boy who is determined to learn to walk, a challenge for him due to spina bifida! We are thankful we had the chance to save his life, and we look forward to seeing what his future holds.

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Spina Bifida
We first met Philip a year ago at the opening of the Tacheng orphanage and wanted to help. They were just getting started and the legal process to send him with us was not yet in place. A year later when we were back in Tacheng to setup a medical clinic we saw him again. His situation had become very serious and without intervention his chances of survival were very unlikely. This time we were able to bring him back with us to Beijing. The doctors have told us that he will never walk and would have severe brain damage. Since he¡¯s been with us he has had Spina bifida surgery, which the surgeon is pleased with the results. Then two weeks later he was able to have hydrocephalus surgery. The MRI showed that there was so much water in the center of his brain that his brain was actually only a 2 cm rim around the inside of his skull. Although the MRI shows major brain damage, the doctor could not believe how alert and intelligent Philip is - he said this is impossible with this much brain damage.
Philip's foster mom accepting responsibility
Philip and his foster mom