One True Miracle {Advocating}

He stood out in a room among 15 other kids. Not just because his skin was a surprising blueish hue. He stood out because he was who he was.

Yes, we noticed his coloring, but what we noticed more was an easygoing, fun-loving, smart kid who meekly stands to the side but somehow still has a commanding presence. From wrestling on the floor to reading books or working on an art project, he was always happily engaged in whatever it was he was doing. He offered us laughs and smiles readily and seemed equally content to play by himself or within the pack. As one of the oldest boys in the room, he’s clearly become and accepted as a leader. Some may say that he got the job because he’s a bit precocious.


How though? How could all these things be true of a boy whose oxygen levels are dangerously low? a boy whose heart isn’t connected exactly right? a boy who would have had life-saving surgery at only a few days of life if he had been born into different circumstances? It can only be explained in one word—miracle.

He is a miracle, a miracle who has already overcome so much. But, he has some big obstacles still to overcome—getting life-saving surgery and getting a heart-saving family.

His heart may have a “defect,” but it beats ferociously strong. And that strong heart, no doubt, has a lot to offer a mom and a dad, parents who don’t even know it yet but are about to experience a miracle first hand.

Interested in learning more about this little guy whose advocacy name is “Zachary”? He’s currently available for adoption through AWAA. Contact info@sparrowfund.orgto learn more about where he is and our experience with him, and contact our friends at AWAA to hear more.

UPDATE: A family said yes and is working to bring him home!


Olivia Linthavong, MD, MS is a Neonatologist based in North Carolina who has been a friend and resource to The Sparrow Fund for some time. She is a mom to three littles, one of whom joined their family via adoption. She served with The Sparrow Fund on a short-term orphanage trip where she met “Zachary” and has a heart and passion to help each child find their forever home.

He’s lovable just as he is {advocating}

“I don’t think anyone can grow unless he’s loved exactly as he is now,
appreciated for what he is rather than what he will be.”
 
― Fred Rogers


I can’t think of a better tangible example of this truth than the relationship that is easily noted between the ayis and “Fischer.” I look at him and see all that he will be capable of with the support of a family. I see how smart he is and how much he could progress given the right tools.

             

But his ayis, they see him for who he is now. They recognize what he’s capable of despite his circumstances. It’s easy for them because they’ve seen how far he has come – and they love talking about it.

He doesn’t want modified activities or to be treated differently. He wants to be treated like the older, smart kid that he is. And they do that so well.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

He’s so capable, smart, and strong already. Just as he is now. You don’t have to guess what he’ll one day achieve to fall in love with this guy.  And we can’t wait to meet the family who will tell him how lovable he is every single day.


 

Interested in learning more about this little guy whose advocacy name is “Fischer”? He’s currently available for adoption through AWAA. Contact info@sparrowfund.org to learn more about where he is and our experience with him, and contact our friends at AWAA to hear more.

 

 


Erin Garrison has been a pediatric physical therapist since 2010 and was first introduced to The Sparrow Fund through serving on an orphanage trip in October of 2016. It was during this trip that her heart was stirred and she was drawn to a big career change in order to serve children living in orphanages, their temporary caregivers, and families who move forward to adopt them. Her passion is to help equip and train the orphanage staff on developmental and handling techniques to assist in reducing delays. She also seeks to be a therapeutic resource for families as they transition children to home and get connected to the services needed. You can contact Erin directly at eringarrison@sparrowfund.org.

A Mid-Autumn Festival Wish {Advocating}

It’s been formally celebrated in China for over 1,000 years, though some say people celebrated it informally thousands of years before that even. Full of legends and lanterns and big full moons, it’s the second most important holiday in China behind Spring Festival, the holiday we Westerners call Chinese New Year.

As turkeys are to Thanksgiving, so mooncakes are to Mid-Autumn Festival. It’s an essential part of the celebration to make them and give them. And, this orphanage made that happen.

With one Ayi paired up with one child and aprons and chef hats on, the mooncakes were made, complete with some sort of bean paste inside and designs on top.


But, there’s something about them that wasn’t experienced in this place the way it is supposed to be. Many cookies and cakes are round; it’s true. But, there’s more to why mooncakes are round; the Mandarin word for round sounds like the Mandarin word for reunion. And, reunions are the most wonderful part of Mid-Autumn Festival. Families come together.

There were people who came to visit–a local teacher, a retired man who used “his pocket money” to bring the children gifts, others to be kind to the children. It was good. And, giving the visitors the mooncakes he made was good too. Enjoying songs and a big meal later that day with his foster family was also good.

But, it’s not family the way family should be. He’s still waiting for them. And, maybe–just maybe–next Mid-Autumn Festival can be shared in a reunion like none other, a reunion with a family who gives him their name and tells him that with them is where he belongs. That’s the wish he’s making this Mid-Autumn Festival.


Interested in learning more about this little 10-year-old chef? He is a waiting child with congenital heart disease who is currently available for adoption through Madison, a good agency which is offering a $1,000 agency grant to the family who wants to make him their son. Contact info@sparrowfund.org or Sarah at Madison to hear more about him and what is required to bring him home.

the now and the not yet {advocating}


He turned 11 today. And, he may have had the biggest party ever because it extended way beyond the room in his orphanage.

I wonder if anyone giggled with him as he got into his cot last night, reminding him that it was his last night as a 10 year old. I wonder if he paused to consider if he was any bigger, any stronger, any healthier when he got up this morning. You know, he’s 11 now; 11 feels so much different than 10. I want to know if he bounced around all morning with anticipation, if the nannies had to tell him to settle down. He smiles so much already; I can’t imagine how much he must have been smiling today.

His nannies prepared the cake. They added some birthday-themed embellishments to a room already outfitted in red and pink and piggies for Spring Festival. I know them and can picture them perfectly, standing back and admiring the beautiful room with joy and dismissing with humility whatever praise was given by other staff.

I’m sure every child marveled as they entered the room, without envy of who it honored but joy that they were invited to join in. Each nanny and teacher offered him a birthday greeting. They all sang, likely in Chinese and in English with Miss Feng leading the charge, as children danced around him and nannies laughed as they watched and worked with the older children to pull up the little ones when they collided. I bet his cheeks hurt from smiling as he took it all in.

He got a gift. A doll in a pig costume. His good friend presented it to him. In 10 days, that friend is leaving. He’s being adopted.

Just like aunties would corporately mother a nephew, the nannies coached him to thank the crowd. He did graciously. After all, he knows his manners. They’ve taught him well. And, then he made a wish as his friends helped him cut the cake.

 

He wished he would have “a happy family in the United States like other children and have a loving father and mother.”

This is hope. Being willing to ask for something he knows is big and believing it can happen.


His birthday celebration was lovely, but we want it to the last one with him making that wish. “Grayson” is currently available for adoption through Madison, a very good agency which wants to help him so much that they are offering a $4,000 agency grant to the family who wants to make him their son. Reece’s Rainbow is also offering a grant towards his adoption. Contact us info@sparrowfund.org to learn more about where he is and our experience with him, and contact Sarah at Madison to learn more about his heart condition and what is required of a family to adopt him.


Kelly Raudenbush founded The Sparrow Fund along with her husband Mark in 2011 and launched Project Puppy Love, a canine-assisted therapy program for foster and adoptive families in June 2018. As a child and family therapist, Kelly has a particular interest in (a) encouraging and empowering parents who are struggling to attach with their children, (b) helping parents walk with their children as they process their stories, (c) helping couples continue to pursue each other and grow together while they parent their children as a team, and (d) training and empowering orphanage staff in China to build relationships with children and each other. Kelly and Mark have been married since 1998 and have 3 biological children and 1 daughter who was adopted as a toddler from China in 2010. You can learn more about their journey on Kelly’s personal blog. Contact Kelly directly at kellyraudenbush@sparrowfund.org.

Two Visits, One Very Different Kid {Advocating}

Two different trips. 9 months apart.

The first time we met, he was reserved and uncertain. Of course he was. He should be. He had a fracture in his leg and wasn’t feeling too great. And, he didn’t know who these people were speaking words that didn’t make sense and smiling big all the time.He was wide-eyed and observant of us the whole time, curious and yet hesitant. His ayis kept saying he’s intelligent, he’s clever, clearly worried that we may think otherwise because he wasn’t smiling right back at us. But, they didn’t have to tell me. I could see it in his eyes as he watched everything with such intent.

Who are you guys?
Do you know how to play safe?
Do you know that you have to be careful with me?

It was clear that the other kids knew to be careful. You could see it in the way they gently handed the toys to him.

9 months later, we were back. That’s what we do. We go back.

And that next meeting was a different story. “Dayton” didn’t have any current fractures, and it was apparent he was feeling much better. The initial shyness was still present, but he warmed up quickly and engaged readily. He was quick to share his smile, and he reached for toys of his own choosing, new toys that we had brought that were all kinds of sensory fun. He sat right in the middle of the group of kids, comfortable being close to us with a laugh that was contagious and a joy that grew our own.

I can only imagine what we’ll see in “Dayton” next time. I hope there is not a next time for us to meet among many cribs in South China. I hope next time I’m there, he is not. I hope that he’s home with his new family multiplying their joy.


Interested in learning more about this little guy with Osteogenesis Imperfecta whose advocacy name is “Dayton”? He’s currently available for adoption through Madison, a good agency which is offering a $500 agency grant to the family who wants to make him their son. Contact info@sparrow-fund.org to learn more about where he is and our experience with him, and contact Sarah at Madison to hear more.


Erin Garrison has been a pediatric physical therapist since 2010 and was first introduced to The Sparrow Fund through serving on an orphanage trip in October of 2016. It was during this trip that her heart was stirred and she was drawn to a big career change in order to serve children living in orphanages, their temporary caregivers, and families who move forward to adopt them. Her passion is to help equip and train the orphanage staff on developmental and handling techniques to assist in reducing delays. She also seeks to be a therapeutic resource for families as they transition children to home and get connected to the services needed. You can contact Erin directly at eringarrison@sparrowfund.org.

Choosing Hemophilia

One of the first steps in the adoption process is filling out a Medical Needs Checklist, which is a daunting task. Typically, when adoptive families are considering whether they would be able to parent a child with particular needs from such a list, hemophilia jumps out as one of the scarier needs. That make sense. Hemophilia is pretty rare – only about 1 in every 5000 boys are born with this need. That means most of us have gone our entire lives without meeting someone with this condition. Because of that, most of us likely have very little information about this need, or we might even have some misinformation. Before I adopted my son, all the knowledge I had about hemophilia came from my high school world history class in which I learned that hemophilia was “the royal disease” that made people bleed a lot. That was it. Like many people, I assumed that hemophilia meant that a child might “bleed out” from a simple cut or scrape. Thankfully, I was wrong! That couldn’t be further from the truth. I have learned much since my first exposure in high school world history class, because my son has hemophilia. I have the privilege of watching him grow, learn, and joyfully engage with life. He is a typical boy who just happens to have a bleeding disorder. Hemophilia is very manageable, and it’s just a small part of our lives.

So, what is hemophilia, then? Children and adults with hemophilia are missing a protein in their blood that helps the blood to clot. These proteins are called clotting factors. To understand how to care for a child with hemophilia, it helps to know a little about the clotting process. A good analogy for the clotting process is a set of dominoes. Remember how you used to line dominoes up and then tip the first one over to watch them all fall in succession? The clotting process works the same way: there are 13 proteins, called clotting factors, that all work together, in succession, to build a stable clot. But, if one of those proteins (or dominoes) is missing, the clotting process stops prematurely. The most common type of hemophilia, Hemophilia A, occurs when a person is missing Factor VIII (factor 8). This is the kind of hemophilia my son has. Children with hemophilia bleed longer than others, not faster, and they bruise more easily than you and I do. Cuts and scrapes are treated much the same way as for a person with typical clotting. The biggest risks in hemophilia are bleeding internally, such as into joints, muscles, or soft tissues. But, the good news is that hemophilia is very treatable, and these children live happy, healthy, long, joyful lives.

Treatment of hemophilia involves replacing the child’s missing clotting factor. Usually, children receive intravenous (IV) infusions of their missing clotting factor two or three times per week. That may sound daunting, but it takes only a few minutes! We do my son’s infusions before breakfast (his choice) three times per week. Some children receive infusions peripherally (into a vein, like my son), and other children have a port into which their infusions can be given. When my son first came home, we had a wonderful home health nurse who came to do his infusions. After he was home for a couple of years, our Hemophilia Treatment Center trained me to do them myself so that we could treat on our own while traveling or when our nurse wasn’t available. I can’t say enough good things about the supportive care my son receives from the Hemophilia Treatment Center (HTC). They patiently answered my umpteen questions before my son came home, and the whole treatment team (a hemophilia nurse, pediatric hematologist, social worker, physical therapist, and education specialist) continue to be tremendously supportive as he grows. You can check the HTC Directory here to see if there is one near you.

You might be wondering what everyday life looks like for a child with hemophilia. Today, my son went to public school where one of his favorite activities is running on the playground. When he came home, he did several somersaults on the couch (much to my chagrin), and we played basketball outside on our driveway. He runs, jumps, falls, and gets back up again. In other words, he does all the things any other child does. The only activities I (and the HTC) restrict are contact sports like football and hockey. Heading a ball in soccer would be risky, too. (These activities would also be risky for a child without hemophilia!) He knows a lot about his condition, and he is even learning to do his own infusions. We spend just a few minutes per week on infusions, and those don’t happen every day. Otherwise, life looks like what you’d imagine with any child.

If you are thinking about whether to check “hemophilia” on your Medical Needs Checklist, know that it’s a very manageable need. You can read other family stories on the No Hands But Ours site. There is a wonderful, supportive group of families that would be happy to answer questions: just join the Hemophilia Adoption Advocacy Facebook Group. Reach out to your state’s chapter of the National Hemophilia Foundation. You will find that the bleeding disorders community is close knit and incredibly supportive. Finally, reach out to your nearest Hemophilia Treatment Center (HTC) and ask questions! I was fortunate that my HTC even reviewed my son’s file before he came home. They answered every question I had, and I have since discovered that they were right: hemophilia is a manageable need. If I can do this, I’m sure you can, too!


Kelly Cartwright is lead Mentor Mom for Hemophilia with No Hands But Ours, former member of the Board of Directors for the Virginia Hemophilia Foundation, and mom to an amazing boy with hemophilia and an equally amazing daughter. In her day job, Kelly is a professor of psychology and neuroscience, specializing in literacy and human development.


ADVOCATING

A few months away from 7 years old, “Ari” likes riding a bike, living life in tandem with his foster sister, and playing with toy cars. He currently attends kindergarten with his foster sister. Sadly, his birth family likely found themselves unable to care for his medical needs given that he has hemophilia. He needs a family committed to honoring his relationship with his foster sister who is also waiting to be adopted. He’s currently available through Madison, a good agency which is offering a $500 grant to the family who wants to make him their son. Contact info@sparrow-fund.org to learn more about where he is and our experience with him, and contact Sarah at Madison to learn more about him and what the process would look like.

Sweet Confidence {Advocating}

When I looked back through all my pictures of the two trips I’ve made to this orphanage in the last year, I noticed that “Kevin” isn’t in too many of them. It’s one of the reasons why I was drawn to him actually.

He didn’t always come running with the other kids to squish his face into the frame whenever they saw one of our cameras come out. It’s not because he didn’t notice or was too reserved to join in. He  was gentle and invested in the moment, focused and content with whatever activity we were doing, engaging his friends in play. Though admittedly, that play did sometimes lead to victory signs and giggles.

Don’t get me wrong; he was interested in all of us foreigners and enjoyed interacted with us. But, when it comes to “Kevin,” there’s a sweetness that pours out of him that draws everyone in. He shares with his friends; he is obedient for his nannies; he is smart, kind, and silly; he’s creative and enjoys performing (especially poems and songs that may involve a little bit of dancing), which perfectly showcases how he also loves to have fun.

 

He isn’t one who will compete for your attention. Instead, he’ll simple capture your heart with his smile.

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Interested in learning more about this sweet little guy whose advocacy name is “Kevin”? He’s currently available for adoption through Madison, a good agency which is offering a $2,000 grant to the family who wants to make him their son. Contact info@sparrow-fund.org to learn more about where he is and our experience with him, and contact Sarah at Madison to request to review his file. We can’t wait to meet the family who gets to make this kiddo their son.

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Erin Garrison has been a pediatric physical therapist since 2010 and was first introduced to The Sparrow Fund through serving on an orphanage trip in October of 2016. It was during this trip that her heart was stirred and she was drawn to a big career change in order to serve children living in orphanages, their temporary caregivers, and families who move forward to adopt them. Her passion is to help equip and train the orphanage staff on developmental and handling techniques to assist in reducing delays. She also seeks to be a therapeutic resource for families as they transition children to home and get connected to the services needed. You can contact Erin directly at eringarrison@sparrowfund.org.

Here’s what we think of him {advocating}

It was a Tuesday afternoon when I met him. He jumped off the school bus with his friends, and they all came running for us. He’s smaller than the others, but that doesn’t stop him from keeping up with the rest of them. His big smile lit up his whole face as he watched the happy reunion between his friends and their former host families. As we greeted each child, smiling and charading our hellos, the nannies pointed to his hands. They wanted to make sure we noticed that his are different.

They didn’t mean it in a negative way really; they just wanted us to be aware. We already were. Admittedly, his hands and his size are the first things we noticed about him. But, we also noticed the concern and curiosity on his face as he awaited our reaction. I wonder what he thought in the half a second he waited. What will they think of me? Will they dismiss me? Will they want to play with the other kids? Will they think I’m weird?

We smiled and waved our hands at the ayi, using the universal charade for no problem, no worries, never mind. And, we turned to him, bent down to look right into his eyes, and said “You’re perfect.” He didn’t know what we said; surely, they don’t teach those words in his primary school English class. But, he knew what we said. The big smile returned to his face, a smile that remained for the rest of the week.

As quickly as we had noticed his size and his hands, we forgot about them. As we played games, made crafts, and painted, he showed us that he doesn’t let anything hold him back. When it was time for fun, he cheered and teased, enjoying the kids, staff, and our team, and being enjoyed by them all. When it was time for crafts, he patiently and carefully held his paintbrush to create his masterpiece.

What we had told him is truth. He is joyfully perfect in so many ways; beautifully and intentionally designed, and waiting for someone to remind him of that everyday. I wonder who will be his reminder.

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Interested in learning more about this sweet little guy whose advocacy name is “Miller”? He’s currently available for adoption through Madison, a good agency which is offering a $3,000 grant to the family who wants to make him their son, with an extra $1,000 grant for any family who says yes to one of their waiting children during the month of December. Contact info@sparrow-fund.org to learn more about where he is and our experience with him, and contact Sarah at Madison to request to review his file. We can’t wait to meet the family who gets to make this kid their son.

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Angi Augsburger was introduced to The Sparrow Fund when her own family received a grant for their adoption. She got further involved with The Sparrow Fund when she was matched with a little boy from one of the orphanages where The Sparrow Fund serves. A year after he was home, she traveled back to China, this time as a volunteer on one of The Sparrow Fund’s teams to serve at her son’s orphanage and then again not long after on a trip to another orphanage where she met “Miller.”

Who will get to see his smile everyday? {Advocating}

“Duncan,” before I met you, I didn’t know too much about the illness we grown ups call “thalassemia.” I knew it had something to do with the blood that pumps through your body and makes everything work. But, I didn’t know much more. I hadn’t come across it in all my years of working with kids.

But, then I came to China, and I met you. One of the grown ups at your orphanage told us you had thalassemia and that quite a few of your friends have it too. No one would know it really if it weren’t for the black bag around your neck, holding your pump.

That’s because you don’t let it stop you. You don’t let it become you. You are you. You are not thalassemia; you just happen to have it. You are strong. You are patient. You are easygoing even though life doesn’t always go so easy. You are happy and are known for your smile.

But, even though you seem so happy where you are, I want more for you. I want a forever family for you. I want a mommy and a daddy to say that boy is ours. I want them to love you and like you and learn from you way more than I’ve learned from you. And, I want you to show them and let them stand by you so you can all show the world that having thalassemia doesn’t mean you are broken or less able but that you are stronger because of it.

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Interested in learning more about this sweet little guy whose advocacy name is “Duncan”? He’s currently available for adoption through Madison, a good agency which is offering a $3,000 grant to the family who wants to make him their son, with an extra $1,000 grant for any family who says yes to one of their waiting children during the month of December. Contact info@sparrow-fund.org to learn more about where he is and our experience with him, and contact Sarah at Madison to request to review his file. We can’t wait to meet the family who gets to make this kid their son.

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Erin Garrison has been a pediatric physical therapist since 2010 and was first introduced to The Sparrow Fund through serving on an orphanage trip in October of 2016. It was during this trip that her heart was stirred and she was drawn to a big career change in order to serve children living in orphanages, their temporary caregivers, and families who move forward to adopt them. Her passion is to help equip and train the orphanage staff on developmental and handling techniques to assist in reducing delays. She also seeks to be a therapeutic resource for families as they transition children to home and get connected to the services needed. You can contact Erin directly at eringarrison@sparrowfund.org.

My niece’s neighbor is ready to come home {Advocating}

It’s hard to understand why some children get matched right away while others wait and wait and wait. There’s no sense in it really.

Three years ago, in a little room full of babies in the middle of China, a boy captured my heart. He captured all our hearts actually.

We noticed him right away. He looked like a typical 6-month old baby, lying in a crib, sucking his fingers, intently watching the happenings in the room, particularly these strange women with big noses who were smiling real big and laughing with his caregivers. His eyes lit up and his smile was as big as ours when we’d simply turn and talk directly to him. His whole body got excited when he was picked up, which made all of us and his caregivers giggle back.

His “next door neighbor” was a sweet baby girl doing much of the same, a little girl who became my niece. Two years ago. My niece Ava has been home two years. She’s loving life in a family. Meanwhile, the boy who laid beside her in that room still waits.

Last year, when volunteers returned, he was in a new room where children were no longer laying in cribs but running around the room and playing on colorful mats. He is both entirely different from when I met him and entirely the same. He’s full of energy. Responsive. Bops to the beat he constantly makes with his toy instruments. Runs. Thinks he’s jumping. Feeds himself. Scribbles with a marker. Puts puzzles in place and celebrates when he does.

Whoever created his file and prepared his papers for adoption knows him well. They described him as a handsome boy who is obedient and clever. They said he is active, loves to play outside, especially in the little car that he can drive around. When he is spoken to, they said he seems to have a mischievous expression when he answers. They said his hands and feet that are different than other kids are why he’s there. They are why he waits. Yet, they aren’t holding him back. He carefully builds block towers, taking a block in and out of a cup, and carefully turns pages of a book.

He’s so ready to come home and be someone’s boy.

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Interested in learning more about this sweet little guy? He’s currently available for adoption through WACAP who is offering a $3,000 grant to the family who wants to make him their son. Contact info@sparrow-fund.org to learn more about where he is and our experience with him. Contact wacap@wacap.org to request to review his file.

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Jennifer lives in Louisville, Kentucky with her husband John and their three children Maddox, Evangelyn, and Harper. She is a stay-at-home mom who volunteers with Love Without Boundaries. They believed their family was complete after the birth of Evangelyn, but the Lord had much bigger and better plans. After Jennifer traveled to China in 2014 to volunteer in orphanages, and she knew that they had a daughter in China. In May 2017, they brought their youngest daughter Harper home. Jennifer’s heart was broken for children without families and those without a voice; ever since, she has been advocating and sharing their adoption story.

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