Rock on Paul!

Paul is such a joyful, full of life type of kid.  His cheerful nature is like a tonic to everyone around him. He has one of those that happy-go-lucky, "can do" personalities which immediately lift your spirits, even if it's been a really challenging day. How could anyone look at that face and not smile right back?

He looks like he's rocking out on the bongo drums here, but he's actually using an upside-down bin as his own personal walker. He can walk 5-6 steps on his own now, but he has worked out this method for long distance travelling. Paul takes the saying " Where there is a will, there is a way" very seriously. If he needs to go somewhere, reach something, find someone or get his point across, he will find a way! Sometimes his solutions are quite creative, as you can see - maybe he has a future as an engineer?

Although looking at this face, perhaps rock stardom might be his career of choice. This guy is just too cool!

It's such fun watching Paul shine. His condition when he arrived was so frightening that it was hard to picture him surviving even a week. Now he's bubbling with personality, and he loves being the life of the party. Of course, we all love it too!

Together Again.

Butterfly Children's Hospice has been open since 2009, but Lyn and Alan Gould have been giving their hearts and lives to the care of palliative care children in China for over a decade. Their task has been both heartbreaking, and beautiful - even though it doesn't seem possible to put those words together. Sometimes the sorrow seems overwhelming, and other moments are full of indescribable joy.
This is one of those joyful times ....in July this year, Lyn and Alan visited Australia to speak about the work with palliative care professionals, and to meet with supporters. During the trip they were able to pay a visit to Ruby.

Ruby was born prematurely and not expected to survive. She was placed into Lyn's arms six years ago, weighing only 1.5kg and looking like a tiny doll. For five weeks, she slept right beside Lyn day and night. When she got stronger, Lyn said goodbye to her, hoping that the teeny-tiny baby would grow into a happy child with a bright future. But she never expected that they would be re-united!
Yet here they are, on Australian soil, with such a lot to catch up on. Lyn and Alan spent the morning at Ruby's school, and spoke to students and staff about the work in China. Ruby was delighted to introduce her friends to NaiNai and YeYe, and see her China life interconnecting with her new life in Australia. And once again, we were all reminded that there is hope for every child.

Finlay is on the move

Our newest little butterfly, Finlay, is on the move. He has only arrived recently and his severe heart condition is supposed to be non-surgical. When he was smaller, doctors felt that any operation was too risky and unlikely to be successful. He was given no choice but to wait....wait until his little heart couldn't keep up with the demands of his body for oxygen anymore.
But Finlay kept fighting, and slowly his little body grew. He's been sent to us for palliative care, but something tells us he is not quite ready for that yet. He's bigger now, and trying hard to learn new things, even though he gets short of breath very quickly. Eating is a new skill for him - until a few weeks ago, he took all his calories from a bottle. Now he is discovering taste and texture. Just like any little boy, he's a bit of a food critic. Some tastes are a hit, and others ...not so much! But he's keen to keep trying and his body is responding beautifully to the great nutrition he is getting. He even looks a little bit mischievous these days.

On Tuesday, he left with his ayi for Shanghai. They travelled on the train and Finlay was a little trooper. He will be examined by a cardiac team there, and we are hoping like crazy that they will have good news for us. Regardless of the outcome ... we just know this little boy deserves every chance. Too many people have given up on Finlay already.

We need to raise the funds to cover Finlay's chance at healing. The costs of his medical bills and travel expenses for this trip will come to 5000rmb ($785 USD or 500GBP), and we are hoping for support to meet that need. You can email us, or donate on the website if you would like to be a part of Finlay's story.

Sweet Swallow

We challenge anyone on earth to resist Little Swallow's grin! She has a gentle and tender nature to go with her adorable smile, which quickly endears her to the regular visitors at Butterfly Home. She’s a little shy though, so don’t expect this greeting if you are new. You have to take some time, and win her affection before she will let down her guard. It just makes the smile all the sweeter to know you’ve earned it!

We are all so proud of Little Swallow. Her core strength is building every day, and she can sit up quite sturdily without support now. That's an important milestone for a spina bifida kid. She's mobile too, and it makes her very happy to be able to commando crawl across the floor. With the help of her therapy sessions, she's quietly figuring out how to make the most of her body's abilities. She's the kind of kid who not going to let anyone set limits for her. She'll get there in her own time, in her own sweet way, and with a smile that will simply melt your heart.

The Three Musketeers

Just in case anyone was wondering how Jonathon was adapting to life with his foster family, we thought we should share these pictures.

His smile tells the story – this is a little guy who is embracing life. Hard to believe it’s the same little boy who arrived at the beginning of the year with a mighty headache and a bleak outlook. Finding out that his brain tumour was actually an untreated infection in his skull gave us hope for Jonathon. After surgery and time to recuperate, just look at how that hope has blossomed.

He is full of life and full of mischief, and obviously loving being a part of this cheeky threesome with his foster brothers. We have to add that we are just a little in awe of Rachel! What a supermom to be keeping up with three dynamic little boys day after day. They are just so cute; I guess that much cuteness in your life makes up for a certain amount of weariness at the end of each day.

Thanks Rachel and Drew. You are giving Jonathon a wonderful gift by welcoming him into your family. The love that you are sowing into his life is a powerful magic, and Jonathon is thriving on it.

Neighbourly Love

We are so blessed by friends who help us from all around the world. We have supporters in the UK, Australia, USA, Singapore, Canada and India, just to name a few. But we also have incredible support from right here – our neighbours and our friends.
One company recently sent a wonderful donation of 24 boxes of milk powder and some beautiful toys. When we phoned to give our thanks, the lady who answered the telephone wept with emotion. She has a heart for our kids, and an understanding of all they have overcome. The company has pledged to send us some nappies, and this lady is hoping very much to visit. We are very grateful for such compassion right here where we are working.

Another kind hearted lady who owns a clothes factory has happily donated some great baby clothes. She visited with us, and had hoped to meet with Eve – but cheeky Eve is home in Europe now and keeping her new family laughing. So our visitor enjoyed her time meeting and playing with the other children. It was a joy to meet with her, and we are thankful for her kindness.

Other donations keep coming in from people all over the country. We have been touched by a generous gift from a couple who live in Beijing, and another from doctor who works in Guangzhou. Regular donations arrive from many different provinces. It means such a lot to know that our neighbours here really do care, and want to help the children any way they can. Thank you so much!

What's in the box?

Lovely Angel is matched with a family, and everyone is waiting hopefully for the day they can travel to China and meet their new sweetheart. We'll all be a little broken-hearted to say goodbye, but that sadness will be quickly put aside for the joy of knowing Angel has a family. How wonderful it will be to see her in the arms of the people entrusted to love, protect and encourage her forever. This little girl is something special, and with her family to cheer her on, she is going to live an amazing life.
Of course, before that exciting day when Angel and her family will finally be together, there is lots of paperwork to be done. And lots of paperwork means lots of waiting. Thankfully Angel is very happy here, and we hope that brings her family peace as they conquer the paperwork mountain. And in the meantime, parcels are a wonderful way to show just how much they love her! Here are some pictures of Angel getting a parcel just this week. You can see that she feels really special to be the recipient of such a box full of love.

"Wow - is this really for me?"

"It is? From my family? I feel so special."

" I could do with some help reading the card though - I'm very smart, but I can't read English yet."

" I just love my new dolly"

" Look - my family! I can't wait to meet them."

" Hey Paul, have a look. I think it's nearly empty. Take a peek."

"Yep, it's empty now. But the box is pretty cool - lets play!"

And finally, a little girl sleeping, surrounded by gifts from her family and tucked in by her ayi who loves her. Safe and secure - this is what it's all about.

Hallo Finlay

Jonathon is settling in wonderfully with his foster family. It’s great to see him learning new things every day and soaking up the love which surrounds him. Being fostered by an incredible family is the best preparation in the world for the day Jonathon is adopted, and welcomed into his own family forever.
Jonathon moving into foster care is also great in another way. While he enjoys the benefits of family life, his cot at the Hospice is now open to another child who is truly in need of specialized care.
So, this week we say hallo to precious Finlay. He is a lovely child, with a complex congenital heart condition. At only 9 months old, his eyes already reflect the trauma he has experienced. When he was 3 months old, he came to the SWI after being abandoned. Not long afterwards, he made the long journey to Beijing with orphanage staff for a cardiac assessment. Sadly, hopes for restoring his health were shattered when the surgeons gave him little hope for survival. Now he has come to us, and we have welcomed him with open arms.

He really is a sick baby. There are many times when his breathing is laboured and it’s hard to listen to him struggle. And yet – he wants to reach out and connect with the people around him. He’s alert and he smiles when you talk to him. He enjoys being cuddled and he seems to like watching TV. His first meal at Butterfly Home was lovingly prepared by Daphne, and Finlay appreciated that delicious and healthy food. His heart may not be functioning as it should, but this little boy is so much more than a heart condition.
We can’t see what lies ahead for Finlay – like every one of our kids, he will write his own story. We do know that we will do whatever we can to help him – starting with a second opinion about his heart. We want to explore every option for our newest butterfly. This time, we’ll be talking with doctors in Shanghai. We’re hoping for good news of course: a better prognosis, and a medical team willing to operate. But no matter what – we will treasure Finlay and show him every day that he is loved. His sweet smile will lift our hearts, as we hope and pray for his to be healed. Stay tuned …. Finlay’s’ story is unfolding.