I ❤️ Lars!!!

Let me tell you about a very, very special boy.  Gladney calls him Lars.  I call him my cute little Buddha baby!  Why??

Just look at his cute little shaved head and orange outfit!!! He is so adorable! 

He was honestly slow to warm up to us.  He's a little shy at first!  Gladney's rep, Mr. Wu, had just told me that he was in the hospital and we wouldn't get to see him during the trip when all of the sudden this precious boy came walking into the room.  I knew it was Lars immediately! It turned out that they had allowed him to leave the hospital wing, where he was recovering from a transfusion, to allow us to meet him.

You guys, it was ❤️ at first sight!  

My cute little Buddha buddy and I played and played.  He loves bubbles!! 

And music! 

And he is just so sweet and cute!!!

Lars is 3 years old and has thalassemia.  In China he is receiving blood transfusions around once a month.  Here in the US, he will likely need to be transfused every 2-4 weeks.  I am the mother of 2 children with thalassemia and am currently in process for a 3rd, so I am happy to answer any questions you might have about thalassemia and how it is treated here in the US.

This little boy is so special!!!

Is he yours??

Contact April.uduhiri@gladney.org for more info about Lars!

A Family for Hayden

As the mama of two amazing adopted children from China, I see everyday, the difference that family and excellent healthcare is doing for my children.

Both of my children have beta thalassemia, and in China, this is a very difficult condition to properly treat and for an orphan it is even harder to get appropriate care.  My kids came home very small, very delayed, and very in need of medical care in addition to their need for a family.  Watching them heal and grow and blossom has been a constant source of joy for us.  In China my babies had a death sentence due to their thalassemia, but not here! In China they either did not receive transfusions at all or they received them over a two week hospitalization period where they were sick and alone receiving treatment.

So when I heard we were going to get to meet this cutie on our trip I was excited!!

Unfortunately, Hayden was receiving a transfusion the day I met all the other kids, so I didn't get to meet him even though he needs a family so badly.  When the team saw him the next day after his transfusion he did not feel good.  The Superkids team actually felt bad that they'd even brought him into the evaluation room rather than letting him rest!  While the orphanage is trying to provide the care he needs, the treatment is just so different for him here in the states.

Here my kids play and watch movies and race their IV pumps down the hall while they wait for it to be done.  

We are in at 8am to start blood work and see their doctors, by noon blood is started, and by 4pm we are headed out of the clinic all tanked up for another 3 weeks.  They leave feeling so good that people who know them comment over the next few days about how much energy they have after getting their new blood! :)

This is not Hayden's reality right now but I know that it can be!  It only takes one family saying 'yes' to change everything for him!!

Just look at that sweet face.  He's only 6 years old with his whole life ahead of him. Could he be your son?

Please share this and help Hayden find his family!

Another article about him can be found here:

http://superkidscharity.blogspot.com/2016/04/hayden_8.html?m=1

Interested families should contact April.uduhiri@gladney.org for more information.

Waiting on a Wingman

Every superhero needs a wingman and if you know Chengbin at all, you know that he is happiest when he is playing with the boys...

 

For a few years now we've watched him and the pure joy he has when our nephew is here for a visit or he has friends over.  Chengbin is all boy and he is a boy seriously in need of a wingman in this house full of girls.  Dad is cool, but nothing beats another boy to play sword fights and basketball and to scooter around with...

 

So for two years now he has been praying almost every night for God to send him a brother.  It usually goes something along these lines,

 

"Jesus Lord, help us find my brother in China.  Let him be good and be nice and not mess up my legos.  And show us my brother and we take him home. Amen"

 

Long story short, (and it is a long but awesome story I'll share later) God has answered Chengbin's prayers and we are now...

 

Waiting on a Wingman!!!

 

Introducing the newest Wilks!!! His name is Hongjie (pronounced HOng-je-uh) and he is approximately 6 years old.  Chengbin is helping us to figure out what his little brother's American name will be, but as with Chengbin we will follow his lead.  If he wants to be called Hongjie, then you're all gonna have to learn how to say his name right! ;)

 

Some of you might think you recognize him right?? Yes, we've been advocating for this sweet boy for nearly 3 months.  He was Joel with WACAP.

 

We are so excited to bring home this special little boy.  We are so thankful for all God has done to help bring this little boy into our lives.  We are SO blessed!! 

 

 

Hongjie you are already SO LOVED!!! We can't wait to get you home!!!!

Hope you'll join us in our newest family adventure,
Fannie, Matt, & the crazy Wilks kiddos

My Buddy Jack

Let me tell you a little bit about Jack.

Why??

Because he just might be one of the greatest kids I've ever met!! Some kids you meet in trips like this one are just special.  They have that spark, that presence that allows them to just capture your heart in a way that time and distance don't diminish.  My buddy Jack is one of those kids!!

This boy speaks fluent English.  Seriously- he understands every word I say and will even translate what people say to me in Chinese!  He's crazy smart!!

He's also incredibly funny!!! At one point during Advocacy Camp he was joking with one of the ladies that he was going to pour water into his nose.  Then he looked up at her as she told him it was a bad idea and said, 'I'm just joking! I'm not an elephant!!'  

What makes this joke of his even more incredible is that Jack has cataracts which affect his vision considerably.  He has one spot on his eye where he can see and yet at 6 years old he knows that elephants suck water up into their trunks! :) 

In spite of his low vision, Jack is amazingly independent! We watched him walk around unfamiliar places by himself and even go down stairs on his own.  When he tries to look at something he lifts it up to the spot where he can see.  We are so hopeful for what a family, medical care, & education could do for this amazing boy!!

My buddy Jack is funny and silly and a little bit mischievous, like all little boys I know.  I just adore him and can't wait to see who the lucky family is who decides to say 'yes'.  They are going to be sooooo blessed!!

You can see a new video of Jack here:

http://superkidscharity.blogspot.com/2016/05/a-video-of-jack.html?m=1

Jack is currently listed with Gladney.  You can get more information about him by contacting Mary Chapman at Mary.chapman@gladney.org