From Fragility to Resilience

Baby Y was born prematurely and with a heart defect. Someone traveling a village road in Inner Mongolia province found him nestled under a stand of trees, tiny and in very fragile health. The orphanage immediately recognized that he needed skilled medical care, and after spending two weeks in a local hospital they asked if we could arrange for him to travel to see specialists in Beijing.

 

By the time we met baby Y he was in heart failure and needed oxygen, so it was a very nerve-racking trip to Beijing! He arrived safely, but the ICU specialists cautioned us that his surgery would be very risky, and he might not survive. They hoped to try and stabilize him first, but delaying his surgery was also a huge risk. After a short period of weighing the risks and benefits of immediate surgery vs. waiting they decided to go ahead and operate.

Travelling to Beijing

Arrived at ICU

On May 24th little Y had surgery, which went smoothly. His post-op recovery has been slow but steady – he has weaned off the ventilator, moved out of the ICU and it wasn’t long until he able to bottle feed all by himself! His dedicated nanny stayed with him 24/7 helping him to recover in the hospital, and we’re happy to announce that he discharged back to our medical home on June 12th. 

Post surgery

Post-op growing stronger

Leaving the hospital 

Baby Y is steadily recovering and growing. He is very content being held by his nanny and gazing into her eyes. He is a very attentive little boy, watching his nannies carefully. 

Back at our medical home