Name: Xiao Xue
Birthdate:

Xiao Xue isn't like most of the other kids who come through New Day Foster Home. Instead of being a few months old, she is 17 years old. She doesn't live in a government orphanage, but instead with a family in a small village in Anhui province. Her mother died when she was younger, and after her death, her abusive father left. She doesn't know where he is now. But, she isn't really an orphan, because the family she lives with now has made her one of their own. Though it isn't an official adoption, Xiao Xue chose to change her name, taking her adoptive father's surname as her own.

Back home, Xiao Xue helps her adoptive parents care for their flock of children – 10 in all, 6 of whom have CP. All of the children are orphans, but in this village where there is no orphanage, the couple has opened their hearts and their home to all of these needy kids. They have very little money, but a lot of love! After she recovers from her surgery, Xiao Xue will return to her home in Anhui.

Xiao Xue came to our foster home for surgery through a long series of events and connections. Someone in the states had met her on a trip to China. That person was introduced to Doug Bush, a staff member of NDFH, by a mutual friend. Doug advocated for Xiao Xue to have a chance at the heart surgery she has needed for all of her 17 years. And now here she is!

Please keep Xiao Xue in your thoughts – she is scared. Coming to Beijing from her small village in Anhui for heart surgery is something she never dreamed possible. Learning from a young age that the world isn't a fair place, Xiao Xue never expected that someone would give her the heart surgery she never could afford. Instead she expected to simply live as long as she could with a bad heart. But, now that she is here, she is understandably overwhelmed by all that has transpired, and she faces a difficult and intense surgery in the coming weeks. Since this surgery should have been done when she was a young child, Xiao Xue's heart is now damaged, worn, and tired. The surgery will be even more complex and dangerous than it would have been had it been done when she was a child.

But without it, Xiao Xue has no quality of life. Walking from her bed to her door leaves her out of breath, and a short climb up one flight of stairs leaves her exhausted. However, despite her weakness, her heart is full of life and love. From the moment she stepped foot in our foster home, she asked what she could do to help us care for our children. She told us how beautiful and happy all of the children were, and she wanted to spend the little bit of energy she had on loving the children. For now we've denied her this opportunity, knowing that what she needs more than anything is rest. Our hope is that after the surgery, her heart will become strong and vibrant physically – giving her the strength and energy she desires to have so that she can pour out love on the children around her.

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