18 new smiles

Another wonderful day in Hefei! Could you EVER get used to such beautiful babies? Oh to have lots of time to cuddle them all, but work was needed to get them their even prettier smiles.


Today rolled into action with the team promptly on the bus at 7 a.m., rounded up by Becky, our breakfast policewoman. This morning the well-oiled machine took off. You would never think that only 2 days had passed since this team came together the way this professional group of volunteers eased into their positions. It is very true that a team is made up by different people each doing their job to the best of their ability. From the surgeons to the bed coordinator (ahem breakfast policewoman) and shoppers for supplies - each worked hard to make sure that each child was cared for. Our pediatricians have been busy checking the children but also giving lots of valuable training to the ayis on the proper care of children with cleft.




Today 18 surgeries were performed, and all of the kids did great. We discharged some children today and that went very well. While the aunties and foster moms received their discharge instructions and signed out, our volunteers were more than happy to hold the babies and play peek a boo. Our ward has become quite packed with children. We had to move out of our broom cupboard storeroom to give it to the kids, then we had to get beds made up in the corridor. (For the Irish reading here, how familiar a sight is that…I’m right at home!)


One of the sweeties, a 22 month old boy, traveled 4 days to get here, by bus and by train. Some of you will remember him from last year, as a chance encounter with an LWB worker on a train led him to our team to get his lip repaired. His parents took him proudly back to his h ome in Sichuan following that surgery, and now he has returned for us to heal his palate. Greeted by a corridor full of babies all making noise, he was a wee bit anxious but once registered and handed a care pack, he settled well into bed 7. A lucky number no doubt!


Our PACU team has moved into a bigger room and they are really enjoying their time with the children as they awaken from surgery. We have some great volunteers in this area who ar e cuddling the kids so that they feel loved as they recover. Another volunteer on the ward today found herself in tears many times just looking out at so many beautiful babies who are in need of homes. Over and over we have heard how these kids have worked their way into everyone’s hearts. Our medical st aff is so impressed with everyone at Anhui Children’s. The quality of care they are giving is wonderful and we learned that so many of the Chinese doctors and nurses have come in on their off days to volunteer. So we have a true volunteer team from ALL over the world!


The Hefei newspaper gave LWB front page billing with an extra insert of great pictures. It was a really nice write up, and more reporters are photographing today. The caption read “The flower of smile blooms from their lips” It went well with one of our evening volunteers, Charlie, whose day job is as a landscape gardener!

Kathy, the evening RN, told of an Ayi who called her in because her post surgery baby was screaming mad. She had been instructed to give juice via a syringe but no way would the child take fluids. Kathy looked and saw the baby was staring straight at her bottle on the locker. “Waaa!” she screamed with her eyes focused on the prize. Kathy quickly hid the bottle and approached from behind with the syringe and squirted the juice to the side of her mouth. The baby drank gladly - crisis averted. A while later, the worried Ayi again ran for Kathy, but as soon as she entered the room the baby stopped crying. What quick learners these kids are!


Today we also were able to hand deliver the beautiful get-well cards made by children in the USA. The babies and their aunties really liked them and send a big thank you all the way from China to everyone who took the time to send such cheerful greetings.


Blogging off now and getting ready to meet the surgery teams who are coming close to a 12 hour shift. Tomorrow is another busy day. Ten beautiful kids from Philip Hayden in Langfang arrived today, as well as Amanda from the Starfish Home in Xi’An. Each baby is cuter than the next. Many of you will also remember CuiCui, the 19 year old girl whose lip we repaired last year in Luoyang. Well, she had another friend in her village who also needed cleft surgery, and YaoYao arrived today from Henan. We are very happy we can help her as well.

Wan an from Hefei!

Sunday in Anhui

Three simple words: TODAY WENT GREAT!

Our team boarded the bus from the hotel this morning, and the highlight for many team members was meeting Gong Lu in person! Many of you remember sweet Gong Lu, the little girl who came to the US for surgery to remove a large facial tumor last spring and who charmed all of America when she appeared on the Today Show. Her surgeon Dr. Buckmiller is on our cleft mission, and so it had been arranged that Gong Lu would come for a post op check in Hefei. One volunteer sat in front of her on the bus to the hospital and they had a fun time playing “peek a boo” through the cracks in the seat. She had brought photos to share with Gong Lu of her trip to NYC. Gong Lu loved looking at the album and when she saw the first picture she excitedly said the name of our LWB medical director. She still remembers everyone from her time in the US. Dr. Buckmiller carefully examined her nose and was very, very pleased with the results.

Just before the surgeries began for the day, Gong Lu’s orphanage director presented a beautiful banner to Dr Buckmiller and LWB. It was a gift from the Jiangxi government and the Fenyi County SWI in thanks for the surgery received by Gong Lu. Once again, everyone who met this child commented on her fun and shining personality. As she left the hospital, she cheerfully said, “Let’s go then!”, flashing her signature smile.

Surgery started just after that, and a full days schedule began. 3 teams operated in 3 operating rooms, and our volunteers had lots of adorable babies to hug before and after they went to surgery. 13 children had their turns in the OR, and tonight the sun is going down on a new beginning for each of them. Each baby who came today now has a new smile to show the world. Often the number 13 in western culture signifies bad luck …but our Irish board member Julie Flynn Coleman wrote the following:

“13 has always been my lucky number! On this cleft trip, 13 appears often. The OR is on the 13th floor, 13 children today had surgery, and for me personally in bed 13 is a tiny little baby from my eldest daughter’s first home. The connection for me is so very real and as I carried her into the pre op exam I felt just like a mama fusing over her baby. “My” baby was showing a slightly low body temp and I had been clucking around her for a few hours off and on. She was going to be operated on tomorrow on Monday’s schedule, but to be extra cautious a few more blood tests are needed so now she will wait one day more for results. She is one of the youngest babies here with hair that sticks up everywhere. I could spot her at a running distance. Did I tell you she is gorgeous?”

Today was also the first press conference for LWB. It was requested at the height of pre-op activity, with people dashing off to buy more diapers and supplies and with the halls and hospital rooms filled with ayis and babies registering. The wards were full with “rounds” and daily activities, and there was nowhere in sight to find the “quiet room” the TV crew requested. One of our board members steered them down to our “broom cupboard” (the storage room), and with the help of our translator the interview proceeded. Julie marveled at how no notes were taken, until they then asked her to repeat it for camera – ack!! She had decided that since no formal occasions were coming that day she would wear an Irish t-shirt given by a friend in the US, a fun shirt with shamrocks. And now she was being interviewed on TV in China, so what to do? Julie thought quickly and grabbed sweet Gong Lu in her arms, who like a pro smiled and did an excellent job of hiding all from the camera!

We are so happy that all 13 babies did well today, but for many of us one little girl in particular is worth cheering for. Little Qian from Guangdong had a very severe bilateral cleft lip, and her orphanage had tried to heal her lip many times in the past. However, each time she would be intubated for anesthesia, she would stop breathing, so this gorgeous little girl with smiling eyes had been unable to have surgery. We had decided to bring her to Anhui in the hopes our team could do her repair. Our anesthesiologists had brought a very special tube with them from the US just for her, the tiniest one possible, and we are happy to report that sweet Qian had successful surgery today and now has a mouth to match the beauty of those eyes that are always twinkling!

We hope you enjoy some of the photos from today. Thank you all for your continued thoughts and prayers. This trip has already touched all of our lives. More than one team member has come down from the surgery area with tears in their eyes. Seeing our doctors and the Chinese doctors and nurses working together on the babies is extremely touching.

Greetings from Hefei!


What a welcome the people of Anhui have showed our team. When we arrived at the airport last night they met us as we came off the plane with a welcoming banner and even presented a huge bouquet of roses to our team leader, Heidi. We all checked into the hotel and fell into bed, knowing that we had an early breakfast on Saturday at 6 a.m. Coffee downed, we arrived at Anhui Children’s Hospital to yet another wonderful reception, a sea of pink and white uniformed hospital staff and huge red banner above the door welcoming LWB.


It really was so amazing to pull into the parking lot and be greeted by so many warm and caring individuals, all ready to work together to help the kids.

Onward we went to the 10th floor and the organized pandemonium!

Lines formed of nannies with the most ADORABLE and beautiful children, curious and watchful. Many more children had arrived than expected as the orphanages and aunties were so excited to have this opportunity that they showed up early!! The love of the aunties for their children is so heartwarming and so obvious. Each aunty wanted to make sure that their child was definitely healed.


Registration started, pre-op started, files were prepared and the children assigned to beds. We knew all would be sorted by lunch time. Oh yes, who was ordering lunch and what time? And were the photos taken and the ID tags on??? Yes, lots of activity! No problem! (our motto for the trip!) Our volunteers in the pre-op area spent the morning decorating the room so that as each little child is brought in they would be welcomed cheerfully.


Team members were thrilled to meet little “Hercules”, the tiny cleft baby who was too small for surgery last year and who has now turned into “Mr Moose Boy” at Hope Foster Home. Everyone agreed he was quite the character! Another little girl who had arrived from Guilin charmed everyone as she was sporting sunglasses a nd a lei.

Volunteers were dispatched to buy extra supplies, like formula and “nappies“. They reported that they turned quite a few heads as they went through the store, as two foreign women strolling two huge carts of diapers will do!


Before we knew it, the anesthesiologist arrived to take his first patient up. Such a tiny life in those giant arms. Quick intake of breath….yes this was what we were here for, to see this baby receive a new smile!! Toys were brought out for the kids, diaper packs given to the aunties, and what do you mean there are no scoop measures in the formula bags? No problem!

And so went the morning of day 1 as five children received their surgeries. We expect to have a routine down by tomorrow, certainly now at 4:30 p.m. things are slowing a bit and we are organizing who is on the next shift. Tomorrow is coming, and 12-15 more babies will be helped by our team.

One thing that has struck so many of us is that YES these trips take months and months of planning and a thousand different details must be worked out, but there is something so wonderful and so unique in having two countries work together to help children. It is such an honor to be a part of these new friendships, this exchange of ideas, and the pure goodwill that comes of it.

OUR TEAM HAS ARRIVED SAFELY

We received wonderful news this morning, that all of our team members have arrived safely in Hefei, Anhui. After such along trip, we are sure they all are tired and in need of a good shower and a good night's sleep. It is such an incredible site to watch a group of strangers begin to bond and grow together to form this incredible medical team, that will forever change so many children's lives.

The first children scheduled for surgery have all arrived and are all doing well. In just a few short hours, the surgeries will begin.

One of our board members, Julie Flynn-Coleman stopped this evening to share her thoughts:

We're on our way and so excited. Every time I step off the plane in China I feel connected to the people and marvel at the adventure about to unfold.
From sipping Wulong tea to eating Hunan chille food I soak up the surrounds and look forward to the next moment.
Tomorrow starts the first surgeries, the advance party have already seen the first children and were busily arranging supplies needed of diapers and baby formula ... yes work has begun even if the main group are only now landing in Hefei airport at 10.30pm.
Wake up calls are arranged for 5.30M, breakfast for 6am and in the hospital at 7am for the main group.
I wonder how the children are finding all this ....are they sleeping peacefully unaware that the new day brings with it a new smile?
Tomorrow awaits....

We are just one week out from our third cleft surgery mission to China. This year's trip will be the Provincial capital city of Hefei in Anhui Province. Over 80 children have been identified for surgery from over 2 dozen orphanages and foster homes throughout China. Our team of over 40 doctors, nurses, and support volunteers have their bags packed and their passports ready. This year's team members come from all over the United States, UK, Ireland, and China. Our first wave of team members board the plane on October 25th. Please check this site daily for information on the day's events and the children that we know will touch all of our lives.

The Love of a Family.... Xinjiang is a remote province in the far North West of China. Love Without Boundaries partners with a UK charity, The Good Rock Foundation, to offer foster care to 30 children. We are currently seeking sponsors for 10 of the children. For just $25 a month you can sponsor one of these children and give them the chance to know the love of a family of their own. In return you will receive 3 reports a year of your sponsored child. That is not quite as many reports as for our other programs due to the remoteness of this province. Because of this, the foster care sponsorship price is lower. These children desperately need their own Mama and Baba so that they can reach their full potential.


So far we have seen wonderful results with the Xinjiang program. Children who were struggling to even hold a toy are sitting, walking, and bonding to their caregivers. One such little girl, called Qi, was born blind. When she was placed in foster care, she was clearly depressed and displayed signs of attachment disorders. Now she is happy, playing, navigating the house with ease and has clearly grown very attached to her foster family. She is being loved, nurtured and is thriving in her new home. This is just one example of the beauty of foster care and we thank all our sponsors for their part in this. Several of the children recently received cleft surgeries funded by the Chinese government's Tommorrow Plan and one child had spinal surgery to remove a meningocele. Additionally, seven children from our program have been adopted in the last year to families, and we are happy to report that two of them were adopted by their local foster families!

All of us at LWB realize so completely that well monitored foster care is an absolute blessing to these children, as they get to experience the feeling of belonging. Thank you to all of our sponsors who are giving these kids the gift of family. Please visit our foster care sponsorship page at http://www.lovewithoutboundaries.com/SponsorFosterCare.php to learn how you, too, can help a child in this wonderful way. The Xinjiang children are the ones where foster care costs $25 a month.

Brynna's Eyes Those eyes. Those beautiful brown eyes. Never has a child spoken so much with just her eyes.

What I saw in those eyes was the soul of my child. My daughter. A child who had been passed over by many others…waiting for me to find her. Like many others this child had not had an easy path in life. Born with a severe bilateral cleft lip and palate and having huge difficulties feeding it seemed this child survived by will alone.

Others saw those eyes and were drawn to her too. And so her healing journey began, first with surgery to mend her lip followed by the incomparable care of Hope Foster Home. Our family watched in gratitude as she made her appearance on the LWB Cleft Trip blog. There she was, our beautiful pony-tailed daughter waiting her turn for healing surgery. There she was, after surgery, being rocked and cuddled by the team volunteers, always surrounded by love.

Finally it was my turn to hold her, my turn to gaze into those soulful eyes. I cried.

Now those eyes are still as brown, still as full of promise. This child, once thought developmentally delayed, is anything but. She is life itself at full throttle. She knows what she wants. She knows nothing will hold her back.

She does have one more hurdle.

Soon Brynna will have surgery to remove a tumor in her middle ear. She is too young to worry about it but I do. Once again she will face surgery. Once again she will face pain. Once she had a whole team of folks caring for her. Now she will have her family.

But I still worry about what lies ahead.

For now I think I’ll smooch my sweet daughter’s face and bask in the glow of the love of life shining in Brynna’s beautiful eyes.

Straight Feet for Bang and Juan

Back in April, Love Without Boundaries was sent the files on two beautiful children -- a little boy and a little girl. Previously, both children had club feet surgery, but both of their feet still were curved. Now at age two, both children had a hard time walking. We were asked if we could help fix their feet.

Right away, we thought that we needed to find a hospital that would perform surgery on their feet given their age and previous surgeries. Even though we had been sending our infants with club feet to a foster home in Beijing for casting, we didn't think that casting could help these children at age two. These two children were added to the website, hoping we could find them a sponsor and send them for their surgeries.

By chance, a foster home in Guilin happened to be looking at our website. Out of the blue they emailed us and told us that they could do club feet casting too! How amazing that someone else in China knew how to use the Ponseti casting method. Better yet, they had success with children who had previously had a surgery. After emailing them close-ups of our children's feet, they emailed excitedly saying that they thought they could help!!

Next the process of arranging a temporary foster home and making the arrangements for the transfer between the orphanage and the foster home began. Finally, by the beginning of June, the children were moved and settled into their new homes.

Soon after they were settled, casting was started. Every few weeks, old casts were cut off, new casts were put on, and their feet were slowly straightened. With these active toddlers, the casts were made of fiberglass. Without the fiberglass, their cast wouldn't even last a week.

Because of their previous surgery, neither child required a tendon lengthening or tendon transfer surgery that is required in many older children.

Three months later, these two adorable children have totally straight feet!! All they will need now is bracing and their feet will be straight forever. That is not all, we have heard from the orphanage that both of these children are soon to be adopted.



Look at their feet!!! Soon they will be running and playing.

Waiting, are four more children with club feet. Arrangements are being made and soon they will have their turn too.

Thank you for helping us to make a difference!
Karen Maunu
Medical Director