As I mentioned in my book, Unseen Tears, on my first visit to the main orphanage in the book, I wasn’t told this was a special needs orphanage. As you may imagine, I was slightly surprised when we entered the orphanage and I realized it was a special needs orphanage. I was so impressed by the children and their abilities to not let a physical disorder impede their enjoyment.
One of the children I wrote about in the book is a girl with dimples. She truly has a smile that can ignite a room, but unfortunately, she also has spina bifada with a tethered spine syndrome. What I have learned about this medical condition is that it means her spinal cord is frayed, so that messages to and from the brain aren’t transmitted correctly. She has no feeling from her waist down, but she can walk a little. Although when she walks, she has developed a large wound on her heel, so she is discouraged from walking. Also, she has incontinence issues, so she has to wear a diaper, and that means she can’t go to school. For the public schools in China, if a child is in a diaper for any reason, they aren’t allowed to attend school. This rule has impacted multiple children at this orphanage in a negative way.
Part of what Global Partners in Life does for the orphans is provide for their medical needs. We have purchased medicine when she needs it for her foot, and we also provide for the checkups with her doctor. She is an energetic girl, so we have also purchased crutches, as seen below, so she can be more mobile. With her crutches, she can go outside and play with the other children, and that makes all of us very happy! To learn more about Global Partners in Life, please visit www.globalpartnersinlife.org.
Crutches that were purchased for this girl.
Playing with the other children.