Tuesday, March 22, 2011
That's how it is...
This post is a direct response to a comment made on Patti's Facebook post about Carrington. Michelle Young wrote... "Wow i will pray how can they get away with this its so barbaric. Dont they have laws in these countries to protect these beautiful gifts from god"
Michelle, you live in a country where we still have a higher value on life than many other places. From what I can glean from Carrington's story so far, there are probably no law's that were violated. If Carrington has a medical condition (reflux) that made her unable to hold down food, then she will slowly starve to death without medical intervention. It is an unfortunate truth that in the very countries that these DS children are, (and this is not limited to DS children) they are throw away children. They have no value to society. The money will not be spent on them. They will not get medical care that they need because there is not enough money for this. Welcome to socialized medicine. Some people get treatment, some do not. DS children do not have the "value" that "productive" members of society do. Therefore they are put into orphanages, and when they are old enough, they are sent to the mental institute. They will live as long as thier body will sustain life, then they will die. I'm sure that if Carrington was not rescued at this last minute, her death would have been attributed to "natural causes", not neglect.
This is why it is so critically important to rescue these children. I was going to list names at this point, but there are just too many to list. And they are all important. And I wouldn't want to leave any out.
There is so much more that can be said on this subject, and I will be saying more. But at this moment I will leave it here. I am praising God that Carrington is now in this country where men fall to their knees in tears at the sight of her.
And where my own granddaughter Reagan gets the love and caring that she deserves. Where, at this very moment, as I am typing this, Dr. Bailey is repairing her heart. At a hospital where children from all over the world are sent because they have value here.
God is good.
Papa
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Full Circle... Reprise
If you haven't read "Full Circle..." yet, read it before reading this post...
October, 1984... Shauna was just 4 years old...
I was driving a truck delivering medical gases to Loma Linda Hospital. Driving north into the campus, as I came over the railroad over crossing, there in front of me was the largest collection of media I had ever personally seen in one spot. I was not surprised to see them there, only surprised at their number. Why were they there? They were following the story of "Baby Fae", the baby who received the transplant of the baboon heart. This was the result of ground breaking research by Dr. Leonard Bailey. Research he pursued because, early in his career, he got tired of having parents told, "Your baby isn't going to live."
One year later Dr. Bailey transplanted a human heart into four day old "Baby Moses", who is alive and well...
Twenty-six and a half years later... our granddaughter needs open heart surgery. And who is her surgeon? Yes, the very same Dr. Bailey...
Back when I was right there every day delivering to the hospital, walking the halls in research, talking with these medical pioneers about what they were studying and doing, and following "Baby Fae's" story up close and personal, did it ever occur to me that one of my family would ever be a patient of Dr. Bailey?? Not in my wildest dreams.... but God knew!! And now I am returning there again... in just two weeks. When Reagan gets her heart fixed by the hands of a man whose life-time passion has been to save the lives of babies born with congenital heart defects.
And another story comes full circle...
Papa
October, 1984... Shauna was just 4 years old...
I was driving a truck delivering medical gases to Loma Linda Hospital. Driving north into the campus, as I came over the railroad over crossing, there in front of me was the largest collection of media I had ever personally seen in one spot. I was not surprised to see them there, only surprised at their number. Why were they there? They were following the story of "Baby Fae", the baby who received the transplant of the baboon heart. This was the result of ground breaking research by Dr. Leonard Bailey. Research he pursued because, early in his career, he got tired of having parents told, "Your baby isn't going to live."
One year later Dr. Bailey transplanted a human heart into four day old "Baby Moses", who is alive and well...
Twenty-six and a half years later... our granddaughter needs open heart surgery. And who is her surgeon? Yes, the very same Dr. Bailey...
 |
| Dr. Leonard Bailey holding Reagan |
Back when I was right there every day delivering to the hospital, walking the halls in research, talking with these medical pioneers about what they were studying and doing, and following "Baby Fae's" story up close and personal, did it ever occur to me that one of my family would ever be a patient of Dr. Bailey?? Not in my wildest dreams.... but God knew!! And now I am returning there again... in just two weeks. When Reagan gets her heart fixed by the hands of a man whose life-time passion has been to save the lives of babies born with congenital heart defects.
And another story comes full circle...
Papa
Monday, February 28, 2011
I have heavily borrowed from the blog of a good friend Patti for this post. You can visit her blog here.
Dear friends, So many of you already know this beautiful little face....
Olga turned five last month. She has spent the last five years in an orphanage in Eastern Europe, without the love of a mommy and daddy- simply because she arrived in life exactly as God designed her. One chromosome too many, and her fate was sealed from birth.
Sealed, because in Eastern Europe, babies who are born with Down syndrome are deemed unacceptable at birth. They are discarded as cast-offs of society, and when they turn five they leave the only home they've ever known...
And I wish I could say that for most of these children, leaving that home meant going to a place of safety, a place of happiness, a place where they would finally know the love of a family...know what it meant to be cuddled or sung to or read to, tucked in at night, prayed for, loved.
Instead, they are taken to a place that most people wouldn't leave their family pet...
A place of living hell, where they will never know the tenderness of a parent, never know the security of being raised in a family, and there they will stay, one ugly, pain-filled day at a time...until they die.
I read a post last month that stayed with me to this day. It was called From baby dolls to bedstraps... The blog author wrote about Elizabeth, an orphan on Reece's Rainbow who had been transferred to a mental institution, waiting for a family to step forward for her. Her words still haunt me.
I wonder where she thought she was going as they led her out of the orphanage that day. Did she think that maybe it was finally her turn? That they were taking her to her forever Mommy and Daddy? And when they instead took her inside that dreadful place, when they shaved her head and tied her to a too-small metal crib...
when they turned their backs and
walked
away…
when they left her confused, terrified,
in a room where the wails of schizophrenic adults echo through the cold air
what was going through her young mind?
Did she wonder if she was being punished?
How long did she hold out hope that this was only temporary?
That any minute, they would come and take her back to the baby house
to her baby dolls and teddy bear,
to her best friend, Angelina?
Did she long to free her arms from the restraints
to cover her head with her hands
to drown out the scary noises
the scary sights
the scary smells?
That could be our Reagan….
It could be your child.
And what if it were?
What if you woke up one morning
and by some hellish, twilight-zone twist of fate
your child wasn’t still tucked into that warm bed down the hall,
what if your child was trapped across the dark sea
in that nightmare that is
the institution?
What
would
you
DO?
Rescue those being led away to death; hold back those staggering toward slaughter. Proverbs 24:11
Elizabeth is being rescued today, thanks to the efforts of that blogging mama, and others like her.
Olga is being rescued today, thanks to so many of you...you gave so much and created such a large grant that a family was able to step forward and start the process of adoption.
The Abells have done so much already, towards rescuing Olga. We can't even imagine all the paperwork and prayer and emotion and finances that goes into an international adoption. They have done numerous fundraisers, and will continue to do so until they can bring Olga home.
Through the help of so many, a grant of over $13,000 has been raised for Olga's adoption. That grant is set aside for the final travel costs and fees that it will take to bring Olga home. It will take every penny of that and then some.
Right now the Abells are in need of raising the $7,000 that is needed to submit their dossier for Olga. Without that dossier we don't even know if Olga has been transferred yet. Here in America you just pick up the phone and ask these questions. But here in America we don't tie five year old girls to cribs to keep them from climbing out. The Abells need to submit that dossier as soon as possible- at the very least to find out if she has been transferred already- because we know an army of prayer warriors who is going to want to know that piece of information as well. And at the very most, it could be able to hold Olga at the baby house until the Abells can rescue her. We wish we could say with certainty that she won't be transferred- truthfully we just don't know that.
Olga has been so heavy on our hearts for months- her picture is up on our refrigerator and will not come down until she is safe here in this country.
We DO trust that God has a plan here.
We truly believe that there is a network of people who love Olga here in blogland...a net that is woven by God and is stretching out across this blessed country we live in, and even beyond to generous hearts in other nations. We cannot express enough how thankful we are to be a small part of what God has already done for Olga, Peter and Kareen. But we don't think our job is done.
Olga needs us.
We don't want her to spend one more forsaken day in that place than she has to.
There is not a giveaway today. The prizes were never the real reason we all gave anyway.
So we're asking- for one day- for you to do whatever you could to help Olga. Whether that's $10 or $20 or even a hundred...if you are able to help raise this money for the dossier, please do so HERE...
...every single dollar goes to the Abell's adoption fund, and every single dollar will help.
We're calling this A Day to Save Olga, because there are about 17 blogging mamas and one blogging grandpa who have set aside this day to blog, post on Facebook, pray, give and spread the word to SAVE OLGA.
Will you help us?
We know you will :)
"Papa" and Grammy
Dear friends, So many of you already know this beautiful little face....
Olga turned five last month. She has spent the last five years in an orphanage in Eastern Europe, without the love of a mommy and daddy- simply because she arrived in life exactly as God designed her. One chromosome too many, and her fate was sealed from birth.
Sealed, because in Eastern Europe, babies who are born with Down syndrome are deemed unacceptable at birth. They are discarded as cast-offs of society, and when they turn five they leave the only home they've ever known...
And I wish I could say that for most of these children, leaving that home meant going to a place of safety, a place of happiness, a place where they would finally know the love of a family...know what it meant to be cuddled or sung to or read to, tucked in at night, prayed for, loved.
Instead, they are taken to a place that most people wouldn't leave their family pet...
A place of living hell, where they will never know the tenderness of a parent, never know the security of being raised in a family, and there they will stay, one ugly, pain-filled day at a time...until they die.
I read a post last month that stayed with me to this day. It was called From baby dolls to bedstraps... The blog author wrote about Elizabeth, an orphan on Reece's Rainbow who had been transferred to a mental institution, waiting for a family to step forward for her. Her words still haunt me.
I wonder where she thought she was going as they led her out of the orphanage that day. Did she think that maybe it was finally her turn? That they were taking her to her forever Mommy and Daddy? And when they instead took her inside that dreadful place, when they shaved her head and tied her to a too-small metal crib...
when they turned their backs and
walked
away…
when they left her confused, terrified,
in a room where the wails of schizophrenic adults echo through the cold air
what was going through her young mind?
Did she wonder if she was being punished?
How long did she hold out hope that this was only temporary?
That any minute, they would come and take her back to the baby house
to her baby dolls and teddy bear,
to her best friend, Angelina?
Did she long to free her arms from the restraints
to cover her head with her hands
to drown out the scary noises
the scary sights
the scary smells?
That could be our Reagan….
It could be your child.
And what if it were?
What if you woke up one morning
and by some hellish, twilight-zone twist of fate
your child wasn’t still tucked into that warm bed down the hall,
what if your child was trapped across the dark sea
in that nightmare that is
the institution?
What
would
you
DO?
Rescue those being led away to death; hold back those staggering toward slaughter. Proverbs 24:11
Elizabeth is being rescued today, thanks to the efforts of that blogging mama, and others like her.
Olga is being rescued today, thanks to so many of you...you gave so much and created such a large grant that a family was able to step forward and start the process of adoption.
The Abells have done so much already, towards rescuing Olga. We can't even imagine all the paperwork and prayer and emotion and finances that goes into an international adoption. They have done numerous fundraisers, and will continue to do so until they can bring Olga home.
Through the help of so many, a grant of over $13,000 has been raised for Olga's adoption. That grant is set aside for the final travel costs and fees that it will take to bring Olga home. It will take every penny of that and then some.
Right now the Abells are in need of raising the $7,000 that is needed to submit their dossier for Olga. Without that dossier we don't even know if Olga has been transferred yet. Here in America you just pick up the phone and ask these questions. But here in America we don't tie five year old girls to cribs to keep them from climbing out. The Abells need to submit that dossier as soon as possible- at the very least to find out if she has been transferred already- because we know an army of prayer warriors who is going to want to know that piece of information as well. And at the very most, it could be able to hold Olga at the baby house until the Abells can rescue her. We wish we could say with certainty that she won't be transferred- truthfully we just don't know that.
Olga has been so heavy on our hearts for months- her picture is up on our refrigerator and will not come down until she is safe here in this country.
We DO trust that God has a plan here.
We truly believe that there is a network of people who love Olga here in blogland...a net that is woven by God and is stretching out across this blessed country we live in, and even beyond to generous hearts in other nations. We cannot express enough how thankful we are to be a small part of what God has already done for Olga, Peter and Kareen. But we don't think our job is done.
Olga needs us.
We don't want her to spend one more forsaken day in that place than she has to.
There is not a giveaway today. The prizes were never the real reason we all gave anyway.
So we're asking- for one day- for you to do whatever you could to help Olga. Whether that's $10 or $20 or even a hundred...if you are able to help raise this money for the dossier, please do so HERE...
...every single dollar goes to the Abell's adoption fund, and every single dollar will help.
We're calling this A Day to Save Olga, because there are about 17 blogging mamas and one blogging grandpa who have set aside this day to blog, post on Facebook, pray, give and spread the word to SAVE OLGA.
Will you help us?
We know you will :)
"Papa" and Grammy
Monday, February 21, 2011
It's hard to believe...
that this little angel...
our perfect little grand daughter Reagan...
who loves Grammy...
and loves Mama...
and loves playing....
and who looks so happy...
has a hole in her heart and needs open heart surgery. in the very near future. but it's true. Please keep her and her family and her doctors in your prayers. And you can follow her story here and on Shauna's blog.
"Papa"
our perfect little grand daughter Reagan...
who loves Grammy...
and loves Mama...
and loves playing....
and who looks so happy...
has a hole in her heart and needs open heart surgery. in the very near future. but it's true. Please keep her and her family and her doctors in your prayers. And you can follow her story here and on Shauna's blog.
"Papa"
Friday, February 4, 2011
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Full Circle...
Someone I know (a missionary to China) once said that when you are traveling down God's path it sometimes looks like it is going all over the place, but when you stop and look back it is a straight line...
Who would have guessed... 10 1/2 years ago while working on an airplane, I slipped and broke my leg...badly! My first reaction while lying on the hanger floor (after looking down and seeing my foot pointing in the wrong direction) was to look up through the wing of the airplane and say to God "Well I guess this day's not going the way I thought it was going to, so whatever the adventure is, I'm ready for it."
So the ambulance came and they took me to Loma Linda Hospital where I spent very many hours waiting until I met this wonderful Christian surgeon who took very good care of me.
The same hospital I had two surgeries and three stays at...
This lead to an endless stream of appointments, which, of course, meant hours and hours in waiting rooms. So Candy brought her puppet to entertain the children in the waiting room. She was quite a hit. My doctor told her she should volunteer over at Child Life at Loma Linda Children's Hospital. She said "Huh?" So he explained it, and she went and signed up. (Same hospital building, different wing.)
Who would have guessed... that she worked there helping children cope with the whole hospital experience. Spending countless hours on the Peds unit. The very place that 10 1/2 years later our granddaughter is at this very moment. All because of my broken leg. A full circle... (And, yes Race, a full circle can be a straight line!)
Did God know this ten years ago? You betcha!!
Grammy singing little Reagan to sleep. (Yes, I did steal this picture off Shauna's blog, but since I took it, I'm entitled!!)
"Papa"
Who would have guessed... 10 1/2 years ago while working on an airplane, I slipped and broke my leg...badly! My first reaction while lying on the hanger floor (after looking down and seeing my foot pointing in the wrong direction) was to look up through the wing of the airplane and say to God "Well I guess this day's not going the way I thought it was going to, so whatever the adventure is, I'm ready for it."
So the ambulance came and they took me to Loma Linda Hospital where I spent very many hours waiting until I met this wonderful Christian surgeon who took very good care of me.
The same hospital I had two surgeries and three stays at...
This lead to an endless stream of appointments, which, of course, meant hours and hours in waiting rooms. So Candy brought her puppet to entertain the children in the waiting room. She was quite a hit. My doctor told her she should volunteer over at Child Life at Loma Linda Children's Hospital. She said "Huh?" So he explained it, and she went and signed up. (Same hospital building, different wing.)
Who would have guessed... that she worked there helping children cope with the whole hospital experience. Spending countless hours on the Peds unit. The very place that 10 1/2 years later our granddaughter is at this very moment. All because of my broken leg. A full circle... (And, yes Race, a full circle can be a straight line!)
Did God know this ten years ago? You betcha!!
"Papa"
Win an iPad!
CLICK HERE for a blogger giving away ANOTHER iPad!
By donating to help save an Orphan, you are entered to win. There are other ways to enter...
- 16GB iPad w/ Wi-Fi
(All accessories are Apple products, made specifically for the iPad)
- iPad Case ($39)
(Not only protects your iPad, it also holds iPad in the perfect positions for typing, viewing slideshows, and watching movies)
- iPad Keyboard Dock ($69)
(Combines a fully functional iPad dock with a slim, compact aluminum Apple keyboard featuring special iPad function keys)
- iPad Camera Connection Kit ($29)
(Gives you two ways to import photos and videos from a digital camera: using your camera's USB cable or directly from an SD card)
- AppleCare Protection Plan ($99)
(Service and support from the people who know your iPad best. For up to two years from your iPad original purchase date, the AppleCare Protection Plan gives you:
• One stop for technical support: Direct access to Apple experts
• Apple hardware coverage: iPad, battery, and included accessories
• Software support: iTunes, iWork for iPad, the operating system, and connection to wireless networks
When you purchase the AppleCare Protection Plan and your iPad at the same time, you'll be automatically registered in the plan.
By donating to help save an Orphan, you are entered to win. There are other ways to enter...
- 16GB iPad w/ Wi-Fi
(All accessories are Apple products, made specifically for the iPad)
- iPad Case ($39)
(Not only protects your iPad, it also holds iPad in the perfect positions for typing, viewing slideshows, and watching movies)
- iPad Keyboard Dock ($69)
(Combines a fully functional iPad dock with a slim, compact aluminum Apple keyboard featuring special iPad function keys)
- iPad Camera Connection Kit ($29)
(Gives you two ways to import photos and videos from a digital camera: using your camera's USB cable or directly from an SD card)
- AppleCare Protection Plan ($99)
(Service and support from the people who know your iPad best. For up to two years from your iPad original purchase date, the AppleCare Protection Plan gives you:
• One stop for technical support: Direct access to Apple experts
• Apple hardware coverage: iPad, battery, and included accessories
• Software support: iTunes, iWork for iPad, the operating system, and connection to wireless networks
When you purchase the AppleCare Protection Plan and your iPad at the same time, you'll be automatically registered in the plan.
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