Two years with little YX!

 Little YX was abandoned within hours of her birth two years ago in June.  

She was born with congenital melanocytic nevus (CMN), which is also called a giant hairy nevus.  In YX’s case, this large black birthmark covers more than half of her torso and is also evident on parts of her scalp and extremities.  We can only guess that her family was unable to accept such a visible disfiguration and felt that had no choice but to leave her where she would be found and taken to an orphanage.

Although these lesions are benign, they have a very high risk for becoming precancerous or malignant.  Half of all children who are born with them will be diagnosed with a malignancy by age two, and nearly three quarters will receive that diagnosis by age 7.  As soon as she arrived at the orphanage the staff asked if we might be able to accept her for care.  We knew that she would benefit immensely from the nurturing, attentive care in our baby home.  

YX is receiving regular screening consults to watch for any dangerous changes to her skin.  Her caregivers are also monitoring closely to watch for any warning signs.

Little YX is now a healthy, curious toddler who loves the activities in our early learning center classes. 

While she is thriving in our care, we hope and pray that someday she will be able to join a family of her own.  

We are very grateful to all who support us in our work.  Because of you, we are able to provide love, nurturing and life-changing medical treatment to children like YX.