PT camp - final day with the kids

It was our final day for working with the children at the orphanage. We saw 5 children. One little boy with big eyes loved to dance, play and took me outside to watch him slide. We have named Tingting the tickle lady because she knows just the right spot to make every child laugh.

We had time before lunch to go through the materials at the orphanage such as toys and positioning equipment. We were able to show the staff ways to use the toys. They seemed very excited and receptive. We took a photo with the large bunny in the courtyard of the orphanage. They had us take our picture with Mr. Changde--the very cute little boy in the picture from the first day. We were very sad to see Dr. Zhang leave after lunch. She was a tremendous resource and I really enjoyed getting to know her!

The last child we saw was a precious little girl. She was very playful and gave us all kisses before we left. She made us all smile a lot. In the evening we met up with Reika (the Changde LWB facilitator), and ventured out and ate at McDonald's, souvenir shopped and went to the supermarket to buy containers for the toys at the orphanage. Tomorrow we will have a busy day teaching the staff and setting up activities. I look forward to seeing all of the children again before I leave. This has been a wonderful experience!!

Angie Boisselle

Another PT camp begins!

Our second therapy team this year has arrived in Hunan, and they are off to a great start. We are very grateful to Angie, who flew all the way to China for us to help with OT evaluations, and to Colleen, who is a specialist on children's early intervention, and a big thanks to Dr. Zhang from Anhui Children's who is evaluating the kids for physical therapy. Everyone is very knowledgable in their own field and has wonderful ideas on how to help the children. Both Tingting and Stephanie (two great LWB facilitators) are in Hunan as well to help the camp run smoothly.

The team set up in the PT room of the orphanage, a bright and spacious area with lots of mats in one corner and all sorts of equipment and toys. The orphanage gave them a name list of their children with special needs, and the assessments began. On the first day, they were able to evaluate five children in the morning and 4 in the afternoon. Dr. Zhang, Angie, and Colleen spent time with each child, taking notes and discussing with each other the best exercises and treatment for the kids. The orphanage doctor, nurses and aunties were all there as well, listening carefully and taking notes. Dr. Zhang gave lots of wonderful advice on working with the children's large motor skills, and Angie gave tips on small motor skills such as finger motion and eye contact. Colleen observed the kids' reactions, such as how they recognized shapes and colors, and their language skills. Together they gave a lot of specific ideas on what toys and games would be good for each child's specific areas of concern, and the aunties would say "oh...that is good....write it down!"

The team wasted no time today, evaluating kids without a break and spending time with each child to come up with lots of ways for them to reach their full potential. Each child will be given a personalized photo book with suggestions and exercises designed specifically for them.

More news from Hunan tomorrow!

Helping the next generation

LWB has a foster care program in the Henan province, and the foster moms and dads are so loving and kind to the kids. This is the same program where the foster moms have a good natured competition going to see whose child has the chubbiest cheeks.

One of the little boys in our program, Jian, just wasn't getting as strong as we would like to see, and so the decision was made to move him to an in patient physical therapy program for two months to see if we could get him stronger. However, we needed to find someone to care for him who lived near the PT center. We were praying for someone very kind hearted, and we certainly were given just that. The staff at the PT center told us about a wonderful family who lived close by who would be willing to care for two children who needed intensive therapy. Then they explained that the foster mom had a 25 year old son who was born with cerebral palsy, and she had devoted her life to helping him do everything possible. He now lives on his own quite well, and she wanted to help more children have that same exact chance. So for the next two months, she will be Jian's PT momma, and she will take him to his treatment sessions and encourage him to reach for the stars as well.

Every child in the world deserves to have at least one person in their life who believes in them. We love knowing that little Jian has a kind hearted woman who believes he really can become stronger. There are people all around the world who never get their names in the news or who never even get properly thanked, but who are quietly making a difference. We are so grateful to this wonderful woman for helping Jian know how special he really is. We can't wait to see the progress he makes under her loving care.