Turning a Checkup into a Java Event!

It was her turn to go see the doctor… it was inevitable… but how do you turn a potentially traumatic day into a fun-filled event? Starbucks of course!

I know that when you think of a typical toddler you don’t always think of Starbucks. But, when you see these photos you will see that she seemed to be having fun getting a lot of extra attention. It appears she even received her own “age appropriate” snack.







Niu was treated like a very treasured little girl by Heartbridge staff. It reminded me of how any one of us might take our child out for a special treat after going to see the doctor. One of the many benefits of Heartbridge is that the children receive more individualized attention and have a familiar hand to hold during the scary and confusing moments of life.

Heartbridge provides care to children who are either preparing for or recovering from surgery. Some kids were underweight, had chronic infections or needed a higher level of care than could be provided at their orphanage homes. Through a partnership with New Hope Foundation in Beijing, an 18 bed unit for pre- and post-operative children was
created to help children build strength and facilitate healing.







To read more about Heartbridge visit us at:
http://www.lovewithoutboundaries.com/projects_heartbridge.cfm


Wendy Petersen RN
Heartbridge Coordinator

"Mother's Love"

Our "Born in My Heart" Art Auction is currently taking place. All proceeds from the auction will be used to provide heart surgeries for orphaned children in China. We would like to share a wonderful story behind one of the items, a remarkable painting by acclaimed artist Caroline Young entitled "Mother’s Love."

From the artist: "'Mother's Love' is a limited edition of a painting I did for my own mom, for her Mother's Day present. It is very relevant for the 'Born in My Heart' auction, and for the adoptive parents who will be viewing LWB's auction items. The story behind the piece is as follows:My father and mother were born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii. After World War II they emigrated to Hong Kong, to start a business and a family. After three miscarriages, my mother was able to carry her fourth pregnancy to full term. She labored for two days and two nights, and the doctor told the nurse to sit on her stomach and push the baby out. A beautiful baby boy was born, but died several days later. My mother almost died, and the doctor warned her never to become pregnant again, as she could lose her life the next time. So my parents decided to adopt. In those days, there were many unwanted children in orphanages in Hong Kong, as the Chinese there did not adopt children that were not blood-related to them. My parents visited several orphanages, but did not find a child that was right for them. They finally decided to try an orphanage run by American missionaries. Not finding THE one there, they decided to leave. As my dad was driving out of the parking lot, my mom stopped him, saying, 'Wait! We have to go back in there. We didn't see ALL of the kids.' My dad replied, 'What do you mean? We saw everyone there!' And my mom spoke these fateful words: ;No we didn't. I know, because I hear my daughter's voice, in my heart, calling to me from within those walls.'They went back in, and that is when they found me. According to my mother, my caretaker at the orphanage had bonded with me, and did not want me to be adopted. So she had hidden me in a closet. When she thought the coast was clear, she let me out, and that is when my parents returned. So if my mother hadn't listened to her heart, I wouldn't have this wonderful life today."

To read more about the artist and view the painting in the Art Auction, be sure to visit the following link before the auction ends tomorrow, Tuesday, April 29th.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=190217116229&ih=009&category=72182&_trksid=p1742.m153.l1262

Whole Care

One of our goals at LWB is to provide "whole care" services to the children in our foster care programs, which means that all of our program areas work together to make sure the kids have the best chance possible of becoming healthy and happy.

So if a child isn't gaining weight the way we think they should, we will investigate if a special formula is needed, or if a child becomes school aged, we will arrange kindergarten. And definitely if a child needs surgery, we will work with the orphanage and foster family to get them quality medical care.

All of these adorable boys are in foster care in Anhui and were also part of our medical program. Don't they look great? We hope this is the year that they all find their forever families.