Long is a year old, but his foot is the length of my thumb. His smile seems to be even more entrancing because of his cleft palate, the very thing that has made his life such a struggle up until now. He was born with a cleft lip and palate, not an uncommon thing in China by any means, but a thing for which many babies are abandoned. Even with extra care and special attention when feeding, cleft palate babies often get fluid in their lungs accidentally, leading to pneumonia. This is mostly likely what happened with Long, and he ended up in a hospital where they struggled to get him off of his ventilator. Multiple sicknesses and hospitalizations have left his trachea scarred, causing him to sound almost like a purring cat when he breathes deeply in sleep or excitement.
Currently he has a fever and is on oxygen, though the fever does not seem to be too severe. It will be a long winter for this little guy, as he struggles to grow bigger and stay healthy. He has all of our hearts wrapped around his finger with that handsome smile, but more importantly he has our hopes and prayers. Join us in cheering for him and the other little ones who need to make it through the cold winter months in order to thrive.
We just prayed for this sweet baby and will continue to remember you all. Thank you for loving these precious babies the way you do. Blessings.
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