ABOUT SUNSHINE
I wanted to take the time in this entry to tell you a little bit about my sweet little boy ... this special little one that I call "Sunshine". I haven't shared too much about him yet, but I want to now. I still cannot share his name or picture online, but he is SO very loved. This sweet child was born with hydrocephalus - "water on the brain". This condition occurs when too much cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) accumulates in the ventricles within the brain and causes a build up of pressure within the skull. If this pressure is not relieved, it can lead to brain damage and motor skill impairment.
At 4 months of age, Sunshine was taken to a hospital and left there by his biological parents. Most people may hear this and think, "how disturbing", "how could they do such a thing" or "they must not have loved him since he had 'problems'". Honestly, I don't think that ANY of those things went through their minds. To understand my train of thought, you have to understand that China is completely different from the US. The "common man" in a small town (like the one Sunshine is from) is fairly poor. His parents likely had little to no money and healthcare in China is not run via. insurance or government run plans ... it is self-pay. His parents saw him with a head that was growing and growing, knowing that something was very wrong with him and that he was crying constantly. Knowing that something was not right they took him to a place that they thought would be able to care for him - a hospital. Out of love for him, they took him to the one place that may be able to "fix" him and knowing that they could not pay for his needs, they had to leave him there. They did NOT leave him on a street corner, they did NOT leave him in the middle of a field, they did NOT put him in a dumpster ... they took him to a hospital ... they LOVED him, and left him out of love.
Once he was abandoned, he was looked over at the hospital to ensure no immediate medical need. He was then transferred to the local orphanage. I am really not too sure how long he stayed at the local orphanage, but I think the local orphanage realized fairly quickly that Sunshine's needs were far greater than they could accommodate. The orphanage reached out to an amazing high medical need foster facility who was able to take him in and get him into a top-notch hospital to be assessed for shunt placement. He needed this shunt to move the extra CSF from his brain to his abdomen so it could be reabsorbed by his body. They got him into the hospital and placed the shut. Everything went well with the surgery, but soon after he developed a fairly severe infection and he had to go back into surgery to have the entire shunt removed. Unfortunately, he contracted yet another infection after the removal surgery and had to wait several months before he could have another shunt placement surgery.
By this time, he was already past his 1 year old birthday. By the age of 1, most of the sutures (joints) in the skull begin to fuse together. This means that Sunshine is now stuck with a head that is VERY large because his sutures closed when he had way too much fluid in his skull. He was able to have a third surgery and get his shunt placed and so far he has not had any problems or needed any revisions.
Sunshine is a very strong and brave little boy. He has a very long road ahead of him if he is eligible for the skull reduction surgery once he is home. I have been in contact with a craniofacial surgeon in Dallas who is very hopeful that he may be able to reduce the size & weight of Sunshine's skull as well as re-shape it. Currently, Sunshine is not able to hold his head up, sit up, stand, up, walk, run, jump ,etc. and he will be 3 this summer. It is my prayer that with this skull surgery he may be able to learn to hold up his head, sit, stand, walk, etc.
Where is the Process Now?
So, currently I am finishing up a few loose ends and the home study is scheduled for the end of March - yay!! Once the home study is done and all the documents come back from being authenticated, everything will get sent to US immigration where they will look over everything to determine if it is ok for Sunshine to come into the country and become a US citizen. Once that is approved, then it will all be sent to China for their approval. It is all a paperwork and waiting game.
How Can You Help?
Several good friends of mine are currently hosting various "parties" and will be donating part of their profits to the adoption fund. If you are interested in any of the following things, please consider purchasing during their timeframes so part of your purchase goes to bringing Sunshine home!
Jewels for Sunshine Fundraiser
Changing Skin, Changing Lives
Order Now through the end of the month to contribute to bringing Sunshine home!
Egg My House
If interested, please email at worthyofmuchlove@gmail.com to set up a time, location, how many eggs needed and any special requests!
Rummage Sale
We will be holding a rummage sale on Saturday, April 16th in the parking lot on the corner of John Rollow Drive and SE 28th Street in Bentonville. If anyone would like to donate things after their spring cleaning, please call/text me or email me at worthyofmuchlove@gmail.com. I will gladly come and pick things up in the local area!
Praises:
- Things seem to be moving along fairly smoothly. I am excited to get the home study done and keep things rolling!
Prayer Requests:
- Things continue to keep moving along
- The home study goes well
- Nothing gets delayed being authenticated at the state level
- Sunshine remains healthy, happy and loved
“And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28
Hi Shannon, thank you for the update on Sunshine, and particularly for giving those who are unfamiliar with international adoption a different perspective on the how's & why's a child may become an orphan in the first place. Sooooo many misunderstandings out there. I continue to hold you both in prayer daily. Stefanie
ReplyDelete