Special Needs

I promised you a post about Hu Jing's special needs and now it's time to deliver.  Having more to write about keeps me busy while we await our I800 Approval and make our final fundraising push. Please see our Donate! tab and spread the word, people.  We're so close to our final goal!!!

Our Quiet Tiger's medical reports are glowing!  Seriously, she is one healthy little girl!  The medical report we received was quite detailed (compared to some) and included details from her first physical after she arrived at the orphanage in her province, plus an updated report when she was older.  She has been well cared for and has met all the age-related milestones.  In fact, our agency says they rarely see a referral like ours - a child so young and completely healthy yet still on the Waiting Child List.

But there is 1 special need which we will need to investigate and seek our doctor's opinion.  Hu Jing was born missing her right hand.  It might be some sort of symbrachydactyly.  There's no way to figure out how or why it happened.  It could have been from amniotic banding, it could have been from an injury her birth mom may have sustained during pregnancy, or it could have just stopped developing for some random reason.  We may never know.

Since the link won't work on blogger today (grrrrr), here's a definition for what Hu Jing may have (we'll have a doctor make a diagnosis once we're home):

What is symbrachydactyly?
Symbrachydactyly (sim-brak″e-dak´tĭ-le) occurs during normal embryonic development, the hand initially forms in the shape of a paddle, and then eventually splits into separate fingers. Symbrachydactyly results when one or more fingers fail to form properly during this time. This hand disorder characterized by abnormally short fingers that are sometimes webbed or conjoined. Most children with symbrachydactyly have the "short finger" type in which the thumb is essentially normal but the remaining fingers are short, stiff and may be webbed. In other cases, only the thumb or the thumb and little finger are present. In more severe cases, all fingers are missing and small nubbins of skin and soft-tissue (little stumps) are located where the fingers would have developed. Research continues into further understanding why this happens. [emphasis mine]

I find it really funny how we've been surrounded by folks with limb differences in the more recent past.  When I started working at our NE church's childcare ministry on Tuesday morning, they asked me where I wanted to serve.  I just said, "Put me where your greatest need is."  I find it absolutely no coincidence that I was placed in a room led by an adoptive mom.  She adopted a darling boy from China with a missing arm (not to mention a sweet, pretty girl from Vietnam.  Hi Honey Girl & Little Mister!).  I love following her blog and seeing all that her Little Mister faces in his young life. I have so much to learn from them!  She has introduced me to sites like Living One Handed, Lucky Fin Project and Born Just Right.  Amazing sites from amazing people in similar circumstances. 

And just this year, there is a teacher at C's school who also has a limb difference, missing her left arm just beneath the elbow.  I noticed her at the beginning of the year, weeks before we were matched with Hu Jing and I immediately thought maybe our daughter would have a limb difference.  Oh, God knew exactly what He was doing!  This teacher was female athlete of the year in high school and is a strong, confident, amazing woman.  We've introduced ourselves and shared our story and she's excited to meet our daughter and offer her help, advice and friendship.  I'm thankful to know her as we raise a daughter with 1 hand.

If you're at all curious, and I know you are, here is a picture of her hand, or lack thereof.  I have a close-up in her batch of referral pictures that shows some tissue where fingers started to form, but it's embedded in the document and it doesn't have good resolution for the blog.  So, you'll just get this cute version.  I can't wait to see all that she can do!

Hu Jing, you are fearfully and wonderfully made! We think you are perfect just the way God made you!