Several weeks ago we were contacted by our partners in China about a little 4 year old girl with thalassemia. Her name is Eliana. She is the youngest of 5 children living in a village in one of our areas of work. When Eliana’s father left the family, her mom found an abandoned home within the village and moved her children into it. The family is very poor, and due to poverty the mom has said she cannot afford the regular blood transfusions and chelation that her little daughter needs. Our partners contacted me about finding an adoptive family for Eliana after her mom said she felt it would be for the best. Reluctantly, I posted Eliana’s information on a group, and an amazing family stepped forward to prayerfully consider adding her to their family. Because we were heading to China soon, we had full intention of meeting the mom to discuss her adoption plan in person.
When we met Eliana and her mom, her mom’s eyes immediately filled with tears. She explained that she felt as if there was no other choice but to no longer raise her daughter, solely due to their financial situation. It was not that Eliana was not deeply loved. It was not that Eliana was unwanted. It was not that she could not get Eliana to the hospital for transfusions. It was that she could not pay the regular transfusion fee. She thought there was no other way out of such a desperate situation. Elian’s mom knows that without regular transfusions, her daughter will die. In her despair, Eliana’s mom thought adoption would be her only hope.
It was abundantly clear that with financial resources, Eliana would not require adoption. She would not need to enter the orphanage system and sustain the trauma of being ripped apart from her mother and 4 brothers and sisters. She would not need to lose everything she has ever known and loved in order to get appropriate health care.
We asked Eliana’s mom if she would still consider an adoption plan if she were able to afford the transfusions. Immediately, she said she would not. When we told her that we would offer regular financial support to her family so that she could afford Eliana’s treatment, she began to sob tears of relief. She repeatedly expressed gratitude. Gratitude that she could keep her daughter and give her the health care she needs.
We are determined to keep children with chronic and catastrophic illness with their families whenever possible. In order to do this, we need your support. We guarantee that your donation is literally changing lives, one life at a time.
