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'One of the Lucky Ones' |
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With so much suffering in the world, can we have hope for a brighter tomorrow? by Monica Kieffer |
When my husband and I lived in the Philippines with our two children, we had the opportunity to be foster parents. We took care of orphaned Filipino children until their adoption papers were processed and they could be adopted by someone else.
Our first foster child was Niño, which means "boy" in Spanish.
Within hours of his birth, somebody found little Niño on a Manila garbage dump in a plastic bag with his umbilical cord still attached. He spent the next three months of his life in a hospital recovering from sepsis, a blood infection caused by the unsanitary conditions of his birth.
The day I picked Niño up I was shocked. Marsela, our social worker, had told us he was 3 months old, and I had compared him in my mind to our own children at 3 months of age. Niño, at 3 months, weighed only 7 pounds (3,170 grams). Both of my children were heavier than this at birth. Later I learned he had weighed only three pounds (1,360 grams) when he was found.
For several weeks Niño required around-the-clock two-hour feedings. My family was wonderful in those difficult days. Everyone helped. In just a short time he gained weight and was transformed into a happy, contented baby.
In fact, Niño was the happiest baby I have ever experienced. He smiled at everyone. I will never forget the day the social worker and I had to take him to get the first of his three hepatitis vaccinations. When the nurse put the band on his little arm to make the vein more prominent, little Niño laughed out loud-until the needle slid into his arm.
For one year and one day Niño was part of our family and went everywhere with us-shopping, to church services, on vacation.
It was amusing to experience the reaction of Filipinos when Niño was with us. At that time foster parenting was not a common practice among Filipinos. Since we were obviously Caucasian and Niño was obviously Asian, we were continually asked by waiters, salesclerks and others we came into contact with why this little Asian boy was with us. We would explain we were keeping him temporarily until his paperwork was finished and he could be adopted and move to his new home in Europe.
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