Photo of the Week - Surgery for Iris

Little Iris in the US having surgery on the large hemangioma on her neck. Yesterday, she had the first of two surgeries she will have while she is here. Thanks to Dr. Hochman and his team, her first surgery was a success! She did so well yesterday and loved being the center of attention. The only thing that made her upset was that they removed her pretty bracelet after she was put under anethesia. Our hope is that as soon as she goes back to China, her paperwork will be submitted so she will be able to have a forever family!

Photo of the Week - Healed Heart for Austin

Austin is a little boy from our school in Jinjiang who had a really serious heart defect. His smile is so infectious! He had surgery last week and was just discharged. When his Ayi told him he would be having surgery and he smiled. Our hospital monitor told us that Austin was nervous but very brave ‘and didn’t cry’. We are so happy this beautiful child is now healed!

Desperation

I read this powerful blog here on abandoning a child who needs life-saving health care that they can’t afford. It really made me about the anguish a family must go through when they feel that abandoning a child might save their life.

We have seen a number of parents in China on the verge of this desperation. We’ve also seen children who have obviously had some medical treatment as they are abandoned with surgical scars or needle marks from previous IVs. Obviously the parents tried to give the child they medical care they needed, but we have to wonder if they ran out of funds and so felt the desperation of having to leave them in the hopes they would get care. This is the reason behind our Unity Fund, our medical treatment fund that helps poor, rural families who can’t afford medical treatment. We want families to stay together, and we love when we can “prevent an orphan” by providing the medical care needed so that the family doesn’t have to consider such a drastic decision.

Can you imagine yourself being so desperate to save your child’s life that you would have to abandon them? Imagine how many families around the world are faced with this dilemma and the thoughts that must lead up to their decision to leave their child. What more can be done around the world to help support these families?

Karen Maunu

Changing the Lives of Orphans in China

Photo of the Week - Beautiful Robyn

What a gorgeous photo of this beautiful little girl who is in our Henan Cleft Healing Home. Robyn has a bilateral cleft lip that will soon have surgery. She is such a happy baby and loves playing with her foster sister Stephanie. The transformation of these tiny cleft babies to these chubby babies is just so wonderful to see. Every baby receives so much love and tender loving care. To learn more about our Henan Cleft Healing Home or to sponsor Robyn's care click here. Just wait until you see Robyn's new smile.....amazing!

Photo of the Week - Facebook Winner!

Last year, when LWB won the Facebook Giving Challenge Sponsored by the Case Foundation, we won $50,000. Our slogan during the contest was $10 for 10. For a $10 donation to help us win the contest, it could save the lives of 10 children with heart disease. When we won, we kept our promise and used all $50,000 of the winning to help 10 precious children. One of these 10 children is little Yang. Yang had a severe heart defect and was able to receive his surgery July 2008. Since then, he has been in a LWB foster program getting lots of love and attention. He has just blossomed! Just look at the photo of him running to greet his "uncle".

Yang has been officially been matched with a family and will soon be coming home! Thank you to all who helped....just look at the joy in this child's face! Yang was one of the the true winners of this contest.

Photo of the Week - Baby Ruby

This baby is Ruby, a precious gem, and she is absolutely precious! She was found abandoned in a cardboard box and wrapped in a blanket. Along with her was a package of formula, a small bottle and a birth note stating the date of her birth—obviously someone loved this child very much. Ruby is healthy except for the teratoma she has at the base of her spine. This needs to be removed as soon as possible. Currently, she is waiting on our website for funding and will be moved for surgery as soon as her funding is received. Please keep baby Ruby in your thoughts and prayers!

Photo of the Week - Casting Time!

This is beautiful Janie. She has club feet, but is getting casting using the Ponseti method. We have sent her to the new casting facility at an Orphan's Wish in Guilin. Here she is having her feet slowly straightened. Don't you just love that smile?

Before and After

Our photo of the week was an easy choice this Friday! Little Gavin had a severe facial cleft which took Dr. Ness four hours to repair on our medical exchange in Shanghai. We absolutely love the before and after! Thanks to everyone who supported our 7th medical trip. You wrote such a beautiful story of hope for 22 wonderful kids.