Healing Love

At the beginning of March this year, a little baby girl joined our foster care program in Zhaotong, Yunnan province. She was only a few weeks old, very weak, and had clubbed feet. I named her Claire and looked at her photos that had been sent to me by our local manager in Yunnan. Within a few weeks of joining the program, it was discovered that she had pneumonia, and she was admitted to the local hospital. The local manager sent me regular email updates about baby Claire, but, despite the hospital's best efforts, her condition worsened. Due to the severity of her condition, she was discharged from the hospital as the doctors believed they could do no more to save her life. But her foster parents refused to give up.

Back home, the young foster parents, who had no formal medical training but a heart full of love for Claire, did all they could to help her. They took turns staying up all night to care for her, rocking her gently and stroking her face. They patiently fed her small amounts of milk throughout the day and night. They talked to her and encouraged her to keep fighting. When the warmer weather came, they took her outside for fresh air and sunshine.

Most importantly, they loved her! Every day I checked my inbox for news about Claire. Three months after being sent home from the hospital, I received this picture of Claire. Just look at her now!

Her picture is a true testament to the healing love of a family. When I saw this picture, it summed up for me the Love Without Boundaries motto of "Every Child Counts." I want to thank every one of our foster care and other sponsors for believing in this motto too.

Jennifer Drake
Zhaotong Foster Care Coordinator