Every Child is a Miracle

Pablo Casals was a Spanish cellist who once said:

“The child must know that he is a miracle, that since the beginning of the world there hasn't been, and until the end of the world there will not be, another child like him.”



When you work daily with children who are so very sick, who are often abandoned when they are at their most weak and fragile, I think there is a tendency for your heart to want to take two steps back, because it wonders how much sadness it can take when it comes to the the lives of children. But then the photos and their file arrive, and the child becomes REAL, and you realize yet again that another tiny life is struggling and fighting to hold on, sadly without a parent to sit and hold them close. Your heart opens back up again to worry, to care, to pray for a miracle so that this child can be healed and someday know what it feels like to be truly loved.

Today we got an update on Max, a 4 month old little boy born with cleft lip and palate who has never been able to gain weight. He arrived at our Anhui Cleft Healing Home a few weeks ago weighing just 6 pounds. He quickly took a turn for the worse, and now is in the ICU with multiple infections and difficulty breathing. All of us who saw his photos today were struck by how tiny and vulnerable he looked in the big hospital bed.

Max IS a miracle, and as Mr. Casals once said, there will never be another child exactly like him. We are asking for prayers for Max, and a supporter who might want to help cover his ICU costs. EVERY CHILD COUNTS, and even though the odds are not in his favor at this moment, we have to keep believing in him because he is fighting so hard to survive.