Table of Contents

March 2012 Newsletter

Children currently being helped

Yu Li (Girl, 9, congenital heart disease): received the surgery in March.	Min Tang (Girl, 12, burn trauma): her younger brother, Ze Tang, is going to school now.	Minghe Qin (Boy, 10, burn trauma): came to America at the end of February for continuous treatment.	Wenfeng Guo (Girl, 1, biliary atresia): received her liver transplant in February.	Chunyu Wei (Boy, 11, congenital deafness): can speak some simple words now.
Rumei Shi (Girl, 1, congenital heart disease): found a family that will adopt her.	Boyao Zheng (Boy, 1, cerebral palsy): is able to walk several steps independently.	Yuxuan Ding (Girl, 2, hydrocephalus): went to Beijing for rehab in March.	Kang Xu (Boy, 6, congenital heart disease): is still short RMB 10,000 for the upcoming surgery.	Jingyi Xie (Girl, 6, leukemia): passed away in February.

Call for help: Let's Help Wenxing Walk!

Three-year-old Chen Wenxing was abandoned on March 29, 2008 by a roadside in Dengzhou, Henan Province. He was found and adopted by Mr. and Mrs. Chen Chuanzhou, a kind elderly couple from the village of Chenying (in Xiaji Township, near the city of Dengzhou), who made their living collecting trash for resale. When Wenxing was first abandoned, he had an egg-sized protrusion on his back due to spina bifida, with which he was afflicted. The doctors at their local town hospital could not treat his condition, nor could the old couple afford to take him to be treated in a larger city. As Wenxing grew older, the protrusion on his back got bigger and bigger, and affected the development of his feet and both hip joints. Although his feet were able to feel, they became deformed, and he could not walk.

In late August of 2011, Lei Ke, a volunteer from Henan Province, initiated an effort to help Wenxing. Through the work of Shanghai volunteers, Wenxing was examined at the Shanghai Children's Medical Center (SCMC) on September 2. On September 9, the 40,000 Yuan needed for an operation was raised with the help of several foundations and other charitable people, and on September 13, surgery for spina bifida was performed by Dr. Pao Nan, Chief of Neurosurgery at SCMC, successfully removing the large protrusion on his back. After the operation, little Wenxing made it through the healing of his large surgery wounds with fortitude. Even though he was young, he knew how to comfort the grown-ups around him, bringing feelings of both joy and sadness to everyone trying to help him.

Of Wenxing's two feet, one was clubfooted (rotated inward) and the other had a valgus deformity (rotated outward), so volunteers began a second fundraising effort. In November 2011, Wenxing was able to receive corrective surgery on both feet at SCMC, and the remaining fees from his first operation were also paid off.

After a recovery period, Wenxing, who previously could only crawl, could finally sit up. But due to both of his hip joints being dislocated, he still can't walk, and further surgery will be needed. Since treatment for his condition has been delayed for so long, Wenxing's hip bones have already been badly damaged, and it will take two operations to correct his hips, with a projected cost of 100,000 Yuan. On March 12, 2012, Wenxing came to Shanghai once more. While bringing Wenxing to the city for treatment, his parents also have to care for another younger adoptive child, who is mentally handicapped. This, together with the train fare (over 2,000 Yuan) for their two round-trips and living expenses in Shanghai, means that a very large amount needs to be collected through this third fundraising effort. By March 19, 2012, after the hard work of many compassionate people, out of a total need of 100,000 Yuan, there is still a shortage of 25,000 Yuan.

Currently, Wenxing can sit up on his own, but due to awful living conditions, he suffers badly from bedsores. The doctors are requiring that his bedsores be cured first, before any hip operations can be done. At such a young age, Wenxing has to bear illness and pain far beyond the endurance of other children. We hope that people will extend a helping hand, so that Wenxing and his parents can get through this hardship, and that Wenxing's dream of walking on his own and playing freely can soon come true.

Top-left: "Don't cry..." After the first operation, Wenxing's white-haired father comforted him constantly.

Middle-right: Wenxing tries hard to move around using his arms, and his little hands were rubbed raw and swollen. From living in terrible conditions, he contracted a serious case of bedsores.

Lower-left: Sitting in a garbage-filled room, Wenxing's smile is still so bright, as if he had always been so happy. It is both heartbreaking and inspiring to see. Let us open our hearts and reach out, so that Wenxing can be always happy like this.

Special Report: Orphan Baolu Wei's Three Lives

Baolu Wei was unfortunate. Diagnosed with hydrocephalus at 6 months of age, he was left by his family at the Nan Yang City Orphanage in He Nan province. But, Baolu was fortunate, too. An old couple in their 70’s adopted him and raised him. They promised that they would take care of him as long as they lived. In 2008, Baolu's diagnosis of hydrocephalus was confirmed. His adoptive parents could not afford the expensive medical treatment which was getting worse every day. Two years passed, they were still unable to gather enough money for the necessary surgery.

In 2010, the Nan Yang House of Love helped raise money for little Baolu. A Life A Time Foundation donated 15,000 RMB for his brain surgery, which was performed in December of 2012 in Beijing Ba Yi Children's Hospital to relieve his headaches. Pain-free, little Baolu started school again, and a new life as well. His adoptive Mom thanked the foundation for giving him a second life.

One year later, when everyone was still happy for Baolu's recovery, more bad news came—he started having intracranial hemorrhages. Volunteers gathered 10,000 RMB for him urgently, which allowed him to go to Shanghai for surgery on December 27th, 2011, at the Bao Nan Hospital to control the bleeding in his brain. Because the draining tube placed during his last surgery was not adjustable for speed, his cerebral spinal fluid was being drained faster than it was being produced. He had lost a lot of fluid from his brain, causing repeated episodes of headache, and even hemorrhages. The doctors at Bao Nan suggested replacing the draining tube with an imported adjustable tube to prevent more headaches and hemorrhages. This plan would cost about 60,000 RMB. Volunteers soon started another round of fund-raising.

Waiting with his adoptive mom for the second surgery. Baolu, who otherwise should have been a carefree child, looked very sad	Post-surgery	Though he still wore bandages, a big smile appeared on his face.

While waiting for his second surgery to be funded, little Baolu had repeated high fevers and vomiting at home in Nan Yang. His adoptive parents, who were too old and could not find help to take Baolu to the hospital . Given the huge cost of surgery and his acutely worsening symptoms, volunteers felt increasing pressure. Finally, the Foundation was able to donate 10,000 RBM. It mainly used the QQ Charity Donation Platform and the Angel Mom Donation Platform to raise funds. In February of 2012, the fund-raising was completed. Little Volunteers took Baolu to Shanghai. He was seen by doctors on February 9th at the Bao Nan Hospital, He was admitted on 2/13. On 2/15 he had surgery and was discharged on 2/21. He started a third new life in Nan Yang on 2/22!

From the time that he first sought help in 2010, orphan Baolu touched the hearts of many volunteers. Though his biological parents brought him into the world, they abandoned him at birth. His adoptive parents and the loving volunteers gave him a second and third life.

Financial Report

Progress Report