Healing Home Transformations: Jerome and Palmer

In late 2017, an orphanage contacted us about Jerome, a tiny baby with Down syndrome who was failing to thrive. He had pressure sores on his head and was so malnourished that his stomach was distended. We rushed Baby Jerome to the hospital where he was found to have a hole in his heart. He spent two months in the hospital struggling to become strong enough for surgery. Once he did have surgery, he had a difficult recovery since he was so frail.

Weighing just 6 pounds upon his arrival in the healing home, Jerome soon began to sleep well and eat more. Crying to make his needs known, he discovered that our healing home nannies would run to his side to comfort him and provide food, warmth, and attention. Within six months, Jerome’s cheeks filled out and he became much more interested in those around him.

Fast forward four years, and Jerome’s transformation is nearly unbelievable. Now our nannies use words such as “cheeky” and “mischievous” to describe him! Jerome is very active and enjoys playing “big brother” with the other children in the home. He has learned to behave very well at mealtime and even tries to help his favorite nanny fold laundry! Jerome reflects the love the nannies have showered on him and is a very affectionate and sweet boy who loves hugs and kisses.

Not long after Jerome came into our care, our Healing Home welcomed another fragile baby with Down syndrome named Palmer.

Abandoned at just a few days old with Down syndrome, a heart defect, and pneumonia, Palmer was rushed to the hospital where he struggled for his life. Like Jerome, he spent a number of months in hospital care before and after his heart surgery, and we hoped and prayed that he would be strong enough to come to our healing home.

Once there, he began to put on weight and gain strength, and he showered newfound smiles and giggles on everyone around him.

What we discovered is that Palmer has a fighting spirit! Over the past few years, he’s inspired us with his zest for life.

More than anything, we wish that Jerome and Palmer might soon have their chance for a permanent family. But with adoptions on hold, our hope is to keep these boys in our care for as long as we possibly can. Every week, we receive calls from orphanages asking for help with children who are as vulnerable as Jerome and Palmer once were, and we want to continue saying, “YES, we can help.”

The reality is that we must increase funding for our China Healing Home to continue saying YES to the children who need us most. Our goal for this week is to raise $45,000 to allow us to say yes to both the children already in our care, as well as the ones who will need us down the road.

If you can, please consider becoming a sponsor for a child in our healing home or making a one-time gift to make amazing transformations like these possible! We cannot do it without you.

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