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.
Read MoreOur Top 10 Photos of 2021
On this final day of the year, please take a moment to enjoy our Top 10 Photos of 2021! We want you to know these happy smiles and faces are all due to the kindness of our generous LWB community.
Read MoreNine Down-right Remarkable Boys
October is Down Syndrome Awareness Month — a time to bring attention to the abilities of people with Down syndrome and advocate for their acceptance and inclusion. Although Down syndrome occurs regularly in both girls and boys, in 2021 we happen to have nine little boys with Down syndrome currently living at our China Healing Home. They bring us so much joy that we wanted to highlight how truly remarkable they are — — from oldest to youngest.
Read MoreA Healing Home Field Trip
Last week, some of the children from our Healing Home went on a field trip to an indoor play area at a big shopping mall with some volunteers. Due to COVID restrictions, this was the first play trip outside of the Healing Home that many of the children had ever been on. As you can see, they had a marvelous time making new friends, building confidence, and broadening their horizons!
Read MoreOur Newest Cardiac Initiative: India (Part I)
In India, over 200,000 children are born each year with congenital heart defects. More than 70,000 of those children need intervention during their first year of life. A majority of families in India make just enough money to survive from day to day. So, when a child is born with a heart defect and the family learns of the cost of the required surgery, imagine the devastation and heartache felt when that sum is unattainable. Money should never be the reason that a child does not get a chance at life.
Read MoreShare Your Heart With Valerie
Valerie is the beloved baby in a family of five children. She was born with VSD and PDA heart defects, as well as Down syndrome. When her mother received her youngest’s difficult diagnosis, she was overcome with sadness and worry. She feared for Valerie’s life, for how and where they could even get the complicated surgery in Uganda, and for how she would pay for it.
Read MoreThree Months After Heart Surgery: A Joyful Update
The last time we wrote about these six precious children, they had arrived home to Uganda following heart repair surgeries in India just in time for Christmas. We are so excited to share with you how each of them has been doing since their heart surgeries in India three months ago. They are all growing and thriving!
Read MoreFive Little Hearts Healed
Several weeks ago, five little heart patients and their parents traveled to India for their chance to receive life-saving cardiac surgery unavailable to them in Uganda. After settling in and having pre-surgery testing and consultations with the surgeons, the first child to go for surgery was Ruthie.
Read MoreFive Little Heart Patients Travel from Uganda to India
Yesterday, five little Uganda heart patients boarded a plane and traveled to India to prepare for life-saving cardiac surgeries that are unavailable to them in their home country. Their parents have spent the past few months gathering medical reports, passports, visas, and taking COVID tests. We hope you’ll follow along with us for the next few weeks as we get to know these heart warriors and their stories.
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