urgent adoption situations – nine children aging out

Paisley – April 1999 – Dandy Walker Syndrome

Paisley ages out April 21st. After this time she will no longer be eligible for adoption. She needs a family that is logged in and either not matched yet or approved for two to commit to her within the next 2-3 weeks. We have resources to help a family sprint for an aging out child, but they need to have a month of more of time before the child’s birthday.

From someone who met her a few months ago: She was engaging and just plain sweet during our visit. She desires to be adopted and would be wonderful daughter for the right family. She is a talented artist, as you can see by the sketch she did during our meeting. She has won awards for her paintings and and was invited to an art show in Hong Kong.

Her special need is Dandy Walker syndrome. With therapy she has obtained good balance and can walk and run. She is in 7th grade at a special education boarding school during the week and is in a foster home on the weekends. I was told that if at public school, she would be in 4th grade. She is described as being very girly, sweet and kind. Paisley speaks Mandarin and Cantonese.

Silas – April 1999 – HIV

Silas is from Henan. He will age out April 20th is he does not have a family in China by then. He has no more than 3 weeks to find his family. A family would need a month or more to make this happen and we are happy to connect an interested family to resources to help them sprint to bring him home.

He is in a well run home for kids with HIV. They have about 50 kids.

He is an awesome kid and wants a family so badly. He will have no life in China. Many who have children with HIV say how manageable of a special need it is.

There is a great blog post about adopting a child with HIV here.

Helpful video on adopting a child living with HIV/AIDS here.

From Julie at Elim Kids: “My Chinese friend went to visit the older boy who will soon age out. She thinks he is great and is always emailing me looking for a family for him. He so wants to be adopted .. Bless him… If anyone is ever interested then let me know, I am sure she would be super keen to arrange a Skype chat.”

His favorite activity: tug-of-war
Favorite toy: magic cube

From his file: Silas was sent to the social welfare institute of Xuchang City on June 10, 2009 after handling procedures in the bureau in order to take good care of Silas, because Silas’s grandfather, with whom Silas had been living after his parents died of disease respectively on April 7, 2003 and Sept. 24, 2004, is old and sick and can’t afford to raise Silas well. The physical examination shows that Silas carries HIV virus.

After entering the institute, Silas has been living with warm hearted mum. In that big family, Silas is a very caring and responsible, and gets along quite well with sisters and brothers. He, very sensible, often helps mum do the housework and never annoys mum. He also helps younger sisters and brothers with their study, who also like playing with him. Silas, who especially like various sports games, is optimistic and has many hobbies, and every morning he takes exercise after getting up.

Silas, with good eating habits, takes three meals each day. Not picky on food, he likes rice, fish, chicken and all kinds of fruits.

Silas is a third grade primary school pupil now. Studying hard, respecting teachers, uniting classmates, actively participating in sports activities, Silas has gotten good grades and is awarded as the merit student, and teachers love him very much.

Silas is a clever, sensible and handsome boy; we sincerely hope that he may have a happy family!

Danielle – May 1999 – Healthy

Danielle is from Jiangxi. She will age out on May 30th if she does not have a family by then.

From her file: She was kind of afraid of being with strangers and she was quiet, not social. She often played alone. Later we sent her to a kindergarten. Upon a period time of communicating with other children in the kindergarten, she has changed a lot into a talkative little girl who had a quick smile.

She has been living in our SWI with group life and she has had excellent care of our caregivers. She is healthy. Since 6 years old, she started to learn words and she was able to tell stories, count numbers and participate in simple labor works. At the age of 7 years, she started to study in the primary class of our SWI. She could absorb all the knowledge that teachers taught. At the age of 8 years, she could sing lots of songs and dance. She went to school on time everyday without exceptions and never left school earlier than the schedule. She was polite to others, cared public properties and paid attention on hygiene.

At the age of 9 years, she knew more things and sometimes she would help caregivers clean floor and rooms. At the age of 10 years, she enjoyed watching others dancing and even imitated fast rhymes dances of adults. At this time, teachers noticed that she disliked studying but dancing. At 11 years old, she had many good friends with whom they imitated dances on TV everyday and they played together after class too. At 12 years old, she is very outgoing, and watches TV after finishing her homework, then plays with her friends. They learn singing and dancing together, sometimes she watches other friends dancing together. She has poor marks of studies.

This is from a woman whose daughter was best friends with Danielle: I happened to looked at the photo listing and who did I see but my daughter’s very best friend, waiting for a family. She is listed as Danielle in the shared list photos. Unfortunately, her time is short and she will age out in May! My daughter and our family would love for “Danielle” to find a family of her own. She is a very sweet girl and has the sweetest little voice – like an angel, so clear and beautiful. I heard her on the phone talking to my daughter one day and I literally gasped when I heard her speak – I had never heard such a sweet sound before (my kids all sound like foghorns and aren’t very delicate!)

I worry about Danielle’s future in the orphanage should she age out. I am sure she would blossom with the love of the family and I want so badly for her to know the love of a mom and dad and the safety of a home.

Shaina – June 1999 – Down Syndrome

Shaina is from Heilongjiang. She is on the shared list and is featured on Reece’s Rainbow. Her grant is currently $372.50 and growing.

From her file: Shaina is extroverted, active and restless, obstinate sometimes, likes playing with toys and playing games, likes listening to music and waves her arms with music, when communicating with strangers she is unaccustomed at the beginning, is quiet, after a period of contact she will get closer to you and is willing to play with you or join in your games, to share happiness and become friends with you.

Though Shaina is a child with Down’s syndrome, she still lives a happy and joyful life under the concern of everyone, enjoys loving care and grows up healthy and strong.

From a March 2011 update: Now she is 122cm in height, 43kg in weight, 50cm in head size and 56cm in chest size. Shaina had Down’s syndrome, and her physical and intelligent development is behind the children of the same age. Though she can’t use words for expressive, she can use body language; when happy she will smile to you, meaning friendly. She is fairly kind and sincere; if leaving her closest people she will cry, and she is unable to part with each other.

Zola – June 1999 – uveitis of right eye; postoperative ophthalmectomy of left eye

This is Zola. She will age out June 1st if her family is not in China by then. She is from Hainan province and unfortunately, her file is VERY old.

From her file: She likes to eat meat porridge, meat-based foods, candy, crackers, and fruit with a strong flavor. She loves spinning/turning activities and her favorite toys were dolls and toys that make sound.

Tonia – June 1999 – Cataraca glauca; Post-op entropion and trichiasis with her lower eyelids

She is from Beijing and will age out if she doesn’t have a family coming to China for her by June of this year.

From her file: She is introvert and likes drawing, dancing and playing games. She can greet people actively and always helps caretakers to do some housework in her ability. She is loved by all of us. She has great self-care ability. She can wash clothes, tidy the room etc. She always puts her shoes, clothes and socks in order.

Now she studies at Blind School in Grade 4. She has classes from Monday to Friday. She lives at school and go back to the institute at weekend. She has classes at 7:40-11:40 and 13:40-16:40. She has Mathematics, Chinese, English, PE, Nature Science, ethics, Art and Science. She behaves well in the school. She can pay attention to lectures conscientiously and finish homework on time. She gets alone with her classmates well. She has won an award for “ready to help others”. She is elected to student cadre. In a word, she is a trustworthy good student.

Ben (aka Gabriel) – July 1999 – mental delay

Here is his very emotional story on Love Without Boundaries about Ben: Waiting a Decade for a Family to Call His Own

Here is his Love Without Boundaries grant info featuring videos of Ben as well: An Adoption Grant for Ben

From the LWB post about him: Ben, who has been a student at our Shantou Believe in Me School since 2004, has watched his friends be chosen for adoption over the years. He has cheerfully maintained his role as “big brother” to the younger kids at the school all the time, never letting it alter his happy outlook on life. However, his last chance for adoption is now here. He ages out in late July 2013 when he turns 14. This breaks our hearts as we feel he could bring so much joy to a family.

note: Ben should be featured on Reece’s Rainbow soon – to help with expenses for his adoption.

Matthew – September 1999 – skull deformity, right-side limbs hindered

Matthew is full of smiles. He is from Henan. He can walk and run, although his diagnoses causes him to have occasional trouble with balance and he needs to hold something when he goes upstairs and downstairs. He is able to complete most daily living tasks independently and with little supervision, including dressing himself, eating, doing simple chores, and taking care of his belongings. He is bright and attends a special education school in another town, where he lives in the dorms with three of his friends. He is a cheerful boy.

From his Bring Me Hope camp volunteer, Rob: Matthew is so special because honestly, he is one of the happiest kids I know! He is always smiling, laughing and having fun despite his conditions! Matthew loves playing games outdoors with his friends, from soccer to basketball and badminton he loves it all! He gets really excited when he knows we’re going to do something fun – I have even heard him let out a squeal of delight!

Matthew is a bright boy, and tries really hard at school! He currently attends a special education school with some of his friends where I am told he is doing really well. He has two special needs; a skull deformity and dyskinesia of right limbs. He has very limited use of his right arm and hand. However, this does not affect his life greatly. He will never be an Olympic athlete, but he is able to run around and generally play like most kids.

I spent 5 days with Matthew at Bring Me Hope summer camps in 2011 and grew to love him as my own brother. I had to say goodbye then, never imagining I would see him again. However God had other plans. This summer, He brought me back to China this year right to Matthews orphanage where I spent 2 weeks. Saying goodbye to him this year was so hard. I am hoping and praying that if I go back next year he will no longer be there, but with his forever family. Matthew has waited far too long for a family. He gets on with everyone and has lots of friends! I saw him grow and mature over the year, he truly is growing into a kind and generous young man. On top of that, he is an easy-going, handsome, bright and funny boy who needs a mom and dad of his own. I do not want him to have to face the future alone.

Rob can be contacted at: robmolloy93@gmail.com
Rob has a great blog post with more about Matthew here.

Lenny – December 1999 – postoperative meningomyelocele

Lenny is from Tianjin CWI.

From his file: Lenny is a smart and studious child, who loves reading books and is interested in everything, always asking why. During the education time in the kindergarten, he has been progressed a great deal. He knows almost all the Chinese characters on the story books, and is able to study new words via dictionary. He is versatility, loves singing, dancing, cross-talk and Kuai Ban. He actively and wholeheartedly participates performance and every time he can get favorable comment from the spectators. Lenny has good self-care ability, can do all of his own things basically, put away the clothes he takes off and the toys he played.

note: He *did* have urinary incontinence, but since his last surgery he is completely continent now! And he desperately wants a family of his own!

videos of Lenny: