Update October 2005 

Dear Friends and Supporters,

An amendment to our last newsletter; Becky Plummer and not Faith Needham will take over the Baby Sponsorship program. It makes more sense as Becky is on-site in Beijing and Faith is in Shenyang in LiaoNing province. You can contact Becky on either email address, tami@hopefosterhome.com or becky@hopefosterhome.com  should have any queries about sponsoring our children.

Foster Home Shunyi, Beijing

The babies  

Fu Dong Qiang with hydrocephalus and blindness has been moved to Bethel, a home for blind children. We have a new baby Fu Gong Qing a few weeks old born with a spinal defect. He will have surgery in Suzhou on October 29^th done by a good friend and neurosurgeon from Hong Kong. He was transferred to Beijing from our Special Care Unit in Henan. David Dang Shan Qiang who was rushed back to Singapore to correct a stricture that developed in his breathing tube has had surgery and is being closely monitored by both the cardiac and ear, nose and throat surgeons. He is doing very well and will remain in Singapore till his next cardiac surgery due in March 2006. Dang Zi Run had craniofacial surgery on the 18^th and he is doing very well. He has been found to be profoundly deaf and requires special hearing aids. Please see our needs list below. He is due home in November.

Tiffany Fu Xiao Tian had to be readmitted urgently for another shunt for her hydrocephalus as her present shunt is blocked but not infected. This will be the 4^th shunt she has had. It is so hard to let go of this child who seems to keep fighting to live. When I hold her she looks straight and me and reaches out to take my fingers in her grasp.

Fu Dong Qiang

Fu Gong Qing

David Dang Shan Qiang

Dang Zi Run

Tiffany Fu Xiao Tian

The other kids are all doing well.

We had a very special visit from specialists from Hong Kong and many of our children with neurological and urological problems have been assessed and will receive treatment according their needs and we are very grateful for their assistance and advice in managing the children’s problems more effectively.

Volunteers:  We have had Nurse Gemma R, Med student Nada A. and Nurse Lyn G (with husband Al in tow this time) are back volunteering at our Special Care Unit. They have all been here before and it’s great to have them back. Ritva V. from Finland is here to volunteer at the Special Care unit for several weeks. We also thank Shaun and Ruth J. for volunteering with us in both places and for being Fu Gong Qing’s special escort to Suzhou.

Christina is back from Australia and is scheduled to do another medical mission trip for us to Shanghai in December.

Shunyi Outreach Foster Program.

Spencer Fu Tian Suo may have an opportunity to have surgery to correct his severe hypospadius soon. The surgeon visited him in his home and arrangements are being made. All other Outreach kids are doing well.

HFH Special Care Unit , Henan Province:

We have 3 new children there, Fu De Hua who is malnourished and has pneumonia. He is improving. Fu Zheng arrived when she was 2 days old and has severe jaundice and was bleeding internally from her bowel. She was brought to Beijing and admitted to hospital here. She has had surgery and is in intensive care on a respirator. We are praying that she will survive. Her general prognosis is probably good if she survives this surgery. There is a question about Fu Tian Lan’s admission to our unit as she is about 8 years old and has cerebral palsy and does not really meet our criteria of a “dying infant” but for the moment she is being fed and cared for.

LWB Special Care Unit

The builders are working on the roof now. The Physical Therapy Room has been sponsored which brings us to 4 out of the 10 rooms confirmed as being sponsored. Thank you.

Our Thanks;

1)        Some of our milk supply in Singapore has been sent to Pakistan to aid the earthquake victims there. Thanks to those who organized this.

2)      We thank Dr Russell O. who brought casting supplies and wooden toys for the kids.

3)      Our thanks to all the doctors in HK, US and Australia ( especially Dr Michael Q. who took great pains to supply a very great need) who have brought/sent us with essential medications for our children.

Our Needs:

1)       Please pray for the work in the Special Care unit in Jiaozuo. This is a place where life and death decisions are made for the babies and it is never easy, both physically and emotionally for our staff.

2)     Dang Zi Run needs hearing aids recommended by the surgeons in Australia. We have one donor who has offered to cover part of the cost but another US$1500 is needed.

3)     Tiffany’s surgery will cost about $2500

4)     Fu Zheng’s hospital bills are already exceeding US$3000

Hospital treatment is never free in China and often these kids’ conditions cannot wait to be treated overseas.  Please help them if you can.

With gratitude

Joyce and Robin Hill

“The greatest displays of God’s power are often seen in the ways He accomplishes His purposes through mere vessels of clay, made mighty because He has infused them with His life.” Stephen Fry

 

 

Dr. Joyce Hill MBBS, FRACGP
Director
Hope Foster Home
Beijing, China
www.hopefosterhome.com
Ph:86-10-61424156
fax: 86-10-61424196
Mobile:13801351244