Blue Sky Healing Home - A Medical and Physical Therapy Foster Home for Orphans in China

 

XIAOBIN

XiaoBin

Xiao Bin was born with a rare congenital disorder called Apert Syndrome. His head looks squashed and his midface is sunken in. He has little knobs for fingers and toes that are fused together. As you can see from the pictures, these deformities are severe. It is not just Xiao Bin's appearance that deprives him of a normal life. Because his skull is prematurely fused, it does not grow in a normal way. As his brain grows, it does so in a cramped and misshaped skull. This restricts his mental development.

Xiao Bin was abandoned by his parents.   He first arrived at Blue Sky Healing Home in October 2009 from a state orphanage when he was one year old. At that time, he could not sit up or speak, and could only lie on the mattress for most part of the day. He looked dull, listless and had little eye contact with people.

Currently, he is learning to walk and is now able to react and respond to people around him. He loves to smile and is very expressive. Like children his age, he loves being carried and hugged, and he will make happy sounds to express his joy. Despite not having normal fingers, Xiao Bin loves to grab toys using both his hands and enjoys the sense of touch.

Xiao Bin will travel to Singapore in early May to undergo cranioplasty surgery for release of skull pressure at KK Women's and Children's Hospital under the care of Dr Vincent Yeow. He will be admitted in the hospital for approximately 7 days and stay in Singapore for 4 weeks for follow-up. Xiao Bin will also undergo eye, respiratory and hearing assessments as well.

Please help support Xiao Bin's surgery fees in Singapore.   For more information, contact : tania@blueskyhealinghome.org

May 31st 2010

After an 11-hour surgery, XiaoBin is now recovering in ICU.  This is a critical time for him. 

May 30th 2010

XiaoBin is all set for surgery on Monday morning ! Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers ! I will post updates on this blog, so please check back.

Thanks !

May 28th 2010

After arriving on May 3rd 2010 from Beijing, Xiao Bin missed his first surgery date, due to a wheezy cough.  The next available surgery date is May 31st, and we are finally a few days away.... XiaoBin is in excellent health at the moment, and we are crossing fingers till then. 
It is estimated that his surgery will last more than 7 hours.  Following cranial surgery with neurological and plastic surgeons, the orthopedic team will reconstruct his webbed hands.  Recovery in hospital is expected to be for at least a week, and Xiao Bin will most likely need to stay another 3 weeks before getting the final ok to go back to Beijing.
ShuHua, his nanny from Blue Sky, has been taking great care of him while in Singapore.  It has been HOT and HUMID, but both are always smiling and cheerful.  They have been staying home most of the time, because he was recovering from his cough, and now we are just being extra careful that he doesn't fall sick before the surgery.  As you can see in the picture, he did have a little outing at the beach, and on most days, he's playing with Sasha and Giulia at home.  He's a very good natured kid, and only fusses when it's time to sleep !