BENJAMIN'S DIAGNOSIS & HOW TO HELP

Wow, I want to thank everyone for their encouraging words, hugs, and love after we were finally able to introduce Benjamin.  It's such a joy and honor to have so many people praying, asking questions, and caring for him (and for us) even before he arrives.

The majority of adoptions from China are of children on the Waiting Child List.  To be on this list, a child must have a special need of some sort (physical, developmental, or even simply being an older child).  Benjamin has tetralogy of fallot ('fallot' is pronounced 'fallow', or TOF for short), which is a congenital heart defect.

TOF is pretty rare (less than 20,000 US cases a year), however, of the types of congenital heart defects, it is one of the most common.  It is comprised of having four (tetra) heart defects in which, essentially, the muscle under the pulmonary artery and aorta has not formed properly.  This causes the pulmonary artery to not be able to support the amount of blood the heart tries to pump through it.  Because of this, the pumped blood ends up not going out of the heart to the lungs and instead escapes through other areas, causing oxygen-poor blood to flow out into the body.  There is a great overview of it here if you'd like to know more.

All cases of TOF require surgical repair, and the earlier the better (within the first 2-4 months of life is optimal).  Benjamin was able to have surgery at 8 months and, according to his paperwork, there were no significant complications.  There is a chance he could a need pulmonary valve replacement later on in life and he will need lifelong care by a cardiologist, but there are very good odds that he will be able to keep up physically with other kids his age and participate in all the activities his friends do.

When we bring him home, we'll have multiple doctor visits, including one to a pediatric cardiologist, who will help us determine the best way to love and care for Benjamin physically, mentally, and emotionally as we all learn to become a new family.

Brad and I are so, so thankful that the orphanage elected to give Benjamin this life-changing surgery. Had they not, Benjamin could suffer from mental and physical delays caused by lack of oxygen that would likely only worsen over time.  Orphanages in China have to pay for the medical needs of their children out of pocket so they rely on financial gifts given to them.

Enter the Orphanage Donation.

Until recently, the orphanage donation used to be a mandatory amount of $5,000-$5,500.  This money is then used by the orphanage to help provide the best possible care they can with the funds that they have.  In December of 2017, the mandatory donation was changed by the CCCWA (governing body over adoption in China), stating that the donation should now be voluntary.  As you can imagine, this has resulted in a significant reduction of funds for orphanages as donation amounts have dropped.

When originally considering how much we would need to fundraise at the beginning of the year, we listed $3,000 as the amount for the Orphanage Donation.  Unfortunately, we were unaware of the history of the mandatory donation above.  Knowing this now, Brad and I want to do everything in our power to be able to give Benjamin's orphanage the donation amount they would have received had the donation still been the mandatory amount.  This will be given to the orphanage when we go to China.  It will not only be used as a 'thank you' for loving and caring for Benjamin during his first two-and-a-half years of life, but it will also be used for the next child in the orphanage who requires medical care.

It's incredible to me to think that someone else's orphanage donation may have paid for our son's life-changing surgery and I love the idea that our orphanage donation will go toward giving the next adoptive family their son or daughter.

In order to do this, we had to raise our GoFundMe amount slightly to accommodate for giving the full orphanage donation.  As hard as it was to see that little green line move backward a bit, we know it's worth it. 

So here's how you can help!  Would you consider sharing our GoFundMe page on your social media sites and or giving towards this special opportunity?  We are so close to being able to both bring Benjamin home and to donate to the next child who needs help in China.

Your support means the world to us!

Much love,
Brooke