There seems to be a lot happening right at the moment. First of all, we are running an urgent appeal to fund surgery for precious baby Leon. He is only 15 days old, and weighs just over 2kg. He was born with a congenital intestinal tract malformation. Without treatment, he will not live for very long. The good news is that he’s been admitted to Hunan Children’s Hospital, where there are surgeons with the skill and the heart to help this little boy. They have a treatment plan which offers Leon the chance at a wonderful life. The bad news is that surgery costs money. At the moment, we are carefully managing Leon’s situation to prevent him deteriorating further into sepsis – but he needs us to take action fast. We are almost there with our campaign – can you help get us over the line? Luca is a tiny fragile boy, but we already see he has a brave fighting spirit. The Butterfly team are with him at the hospital every day, and they love him fiercely. It would mean the world to us to see this little boy healthy and thriving.
Meanwhile, another one of our precious boys has already had surgery this week.
Luca travelled to Shanghai for assessment, and the specialists were alarmed at the severity of his condition. They found that he was at risk of sudden cardiac arrest – so frightening. It was safest for Luca and his Butterfly ayi to stay on in Shanghai. We’re so grateful to the wonderful people at Baobei for taking care of all the logistics like accommodation and transport. They stayed very close to the hospital, and Luca was scheduled for surgery soon as possible.
That surgery went ahead on Wednesday – thankfully it was successful. Luca’s valve was able to be repaired, which was a great outcome, and he had a pacemaker placed. The specialists are still very concerned about his heart function, so please keep him in your thoughts. The next five days are critical – he will be in ICU, and it’s going to be a tough recovery. We feel very hopeful for him – he’s a strong boy, with a great medical team and a lot of love on his side.
While these two precious boys are away fighting for their lives, the daily joys and challenges of caring for 15 critically ill children continue at the Home. We are looking forward to Matilda’s wheelchair, thanks to the generosity of many supporters, especially the good people at 52 Lives and 101 Things to do When You Survive. Now that funds have been raised, Katie has ordered the chair – in pink of course!!
We are rejoicing over good test results for Bethany and Edmund, while we wait on more results for Brian. We have welcomed two sweet children, Bernadette and Jesse, and grieved the loss of our darling Lydia.
Lydia had a congenital syndrome, and several life-limiting complications. She spent the last days of her life gently cradled by her ayi or Nurse Chriselle. These strong women loved her deeply and knew nothing was more important in those last hours than showing love. Lydia’s life was too short and we miss her terribly, but we are thankful she knew the strength of love.
Hard times and good times one after the other – that’s the way things roll here at Butterfly Home. At the low points, we cannot see for tears, but other times we’re laughing and celebrating the good things. There is a common denominator though – we’re riding this rollercoaster because we love these kids, and they deserve nothing less. Our tears and laughter, hopes and fears are all born of love. Thank you for caring enough to ride with us!
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