The first thing everyone noticed when Joseph came through the doors of the Butterfly Home, was his cheeky smile and sweet giggle. As soon as he came through the front door, he relaxed. It was like he knew this was a safe place for him and we were going to him the help he needed.
He quickly found his favourite place in his ayis arms. He was always in someone’s arms and loved his snuggles. He wasn’t fond of being put down and would let everyone know that! He quickly thrived in our care, gained weight and checked all the pre-operative boxes that needed to be ticked for surgery. A few months later, he travelled to Shanghai with another little boy and his favourite ayis for surgery.
This surgery was supposed to do great things. We were heartbroken when it didn’t go to plan. Instead of being healed, Joseph came home with a new label: “inoperable”. When he returned we didn’t see ‘inoperable’, we saw ‘amazing’, ‘courageous’, ‘worthy’ and ‘brave’. We just knew we needed to fight for him even harder.
We contacted a few more surgeons but received the same response, there was nothing they could do, his anatomy was too complicated. But we were not going to give up! We reached out to a surgeon who had operated on another Butterfly with a similar condition and he said YES! We were overjoyed, but it came with a significant financial cost. We reached out to our supporters and they came together, from all corners of the world to raise an incredible amount of money to get this little boy the medical care that he needed. We always knew we had amazing supporters, but the speed with which the funds were raised were incredible.
And since then, he has gone from strength to strength. After surgery, he graduated from hospice care and continued to thrive. We knew this little boy was going to have a bright future! Earlier this month, his whole world changed! His mama and baba travelled from the U.S.A. to bring him home, his final transition, into the arms of those who will be his forever! His siblings are waiting for this little sociable guy at home!
And we can quite confidently share with you that this little guy is more than happy with his parents! Look at those smiles and happy faces.
We wish you all a lifetime of happiness together and cannot wait to see how the rest of his journey unfolds!
We are also grateful for the amount of supplies you brought with you for the Butterflies. Elora was quick to dive in and choose a new beaker for herself!
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