Read what a dedicated Hugging Granny sponsor, a pediatric neurologist and adoptive parents whose child benefited from a Granny's help with their daughter's physical therapy have to say about our program...

Dear Guixi Hugging Grannies, 

I am proud and grateful to sponsor a Hugging Granny, Granny Zhang Shui Bao, at Guixi Social Welfare Institute.  My daughter, Mary Rose, is from Guixi.  It is clear that my daughter received much love from her caretakers at Guixi.    From the moment of our first meeting, the happiest day of my life, it was obvious that she had received wonderful physical care but also very loving care.  I am and always will be grateful to the staff and volunteers, and her foster mother, for this care of my most precious daughter.   From the bottom of my heart, I thank you.   

I am a physician, a pediatric neurologist, which means that I take care of children with disorders of brain functioning.  So, I know how crucial it is for a child to have a loving and caring environment in the first year of life.  You have help make it possible for these girls to progress in life because of the loving start you provided. 

I hope that by sponsoring Granny Zhang, I can help in some small way for you to continue to love and care for these children.  Please know that the staff and children of Guixi are always in the hearts of those of us with children from Guixi, we think of you often and will help whenever we can.  We love our children so much and are forever grateful to you for their care. 

Sincerely,

Lane

A Xinyu Granny Story:

We are the parents of six children; three born to us, and three adopted by us in China.  We never officially planned on having such a large family, but after we adopted our first baby girl from YiChun, China, and seeing how readily she fit into our family, we soon decided we could make a difference in the life of one more baby girl . . . and within a few years we brought home a second daughter, this one from Chongqing.  Both girls were relatively healthy and have thrived in their new family.  

About a year ago, we began considering adopting from China once more; but this time we wanted to bring home a child with a medical problem, perhaps one who needed some surgery.  We began working on our application and dossier while considering the medical problems we felt we could best deal with.  We decided that we would seek a child with club feet or other orthopedic problem.

Our agency phoned to say they had received files on several waiting children with special needs, and one of them had serious orthopedic problems.  They wondered if we would consider this girl.  She had not only club feet, but legs which were crooked, and she could not stand up or walk.  However, she had the face of an angel!   Our agency was told that she had been considered for surgery in China, but it was determined that her joints were too stiff for surgery to be successful; she needed physical therapy three times a day to loosen her joints.  An Amity "Granny" was found who had had prior medical training, and she began to give the little girl the needed physical therapy.  I have often wondered what the Granny thought as she worked, stretching the baby's joints and massaging her legs and ankles.   I heard that the little girl would cry because the therapy was painful; but it was necessary.  It was probably not a very enjoyable chore for the Granny, but after a couple of months, the girl's legs had a greater range of motion and were more flexible.

We decided to request the little girl with the angelic face and crooked legs, and we were approved to become her family.  We recently traveled to China to bring her home.  I had so hoped to meet the Granny who had become an angel for my daughter.  I wanted to let her know that we knew the story of how she had worked with my daughter, enduring her cries, and that because of her devotion, our little girl would be ready for surgery after arriving in the U.S.

We only returned home with Julie 2 weeks ago, and we are beginning the process of medical evaluations.  Julie will need several surgeries, according to the doctor.  But he was absolutely amazed that Julie can sit up and scoot wherever she wants to go; she has such determination and motivation to explore every corner of her new home!  She apparently has muscles in those crooked legs, and great flexibility, and once her little feet and legs are straightened, we anticipate she will be walking and running and keeping up with her big sisters!

In a year or two, when the surgeries are finished and Julie can stand up by herself, and maybe even walk, run and dance, I will be thinking of the Amity Granny who stretched and massaged the crooked little legs of a crying baby girl in Xinyu.  I'll always be thankful for her special gift to my daughter.  My daughter might have been left to lie in a crib, with no hope of learning to stand or walk, if it had not been for the Amity Grannies and the orphanage personnel who wisely matched the talents and devotion of a very special Granny with a very special little girl, my daughter Julie.

Carl and Joyce

Dear Amity Grannies,

I live in the United States.  I am the grandmother to a child who was born in China and adopted at one year of age by my daughter and her husband.  I am also an artist.

My granddaughter Ming, is now six years old.  She has been the sun and the moon for our family.  We love her very, very much.  Although she is a little American now, she loves telling people that she is Chinese and that she was born in China.  She loves to read about China and is proud of her heritage.  Soon her parents are going to take her back to her birthplace for a visit.  Hopefully this visit will be one of many trips to China.  She will always respect and honor her Chinese roots.

Ming spent her first year in a welfare institute.  I wonder what that year was like.  I wonder if her cries were answered.  I wonder if she was talked to and held.  I can only come to the conclusion that there must have been an Amity Hugging Grandma there to take care of her when she was a tiny baby, because I’ve never seen a happier or healthier baby than Ming.

I was so grateful to China for allowing my daughter and her husband to adopt our wonderful Ming that I wanted to give something back to the country of her birth.  I became aware of Amity’s Hugging Grandmas through the Internet.  You would be surprised at how many people in the world know of the good that you do for the orphans and how respected you are.  Your work is so important to the special needs of those children. 

As I said before, I am an artist.  One night, I woke up suddenly and I had an idea.  This idea has made it possible for me to sponsor three Hugging Grannies a year for the past three years.  I paint portraits of children who are adopted from China and the money I receive for the portraits is given to Amity to sponsor Hugging Grandmas.

From one grandma to another, thank you for what you do for the children.

Clare

Top