Reese's Fight

Life has not been easy for Reese.  He's not yet a year old,  and has already been through so much.  He was born with a severe GI defect and was abandoned by a bridge when he was six months old.  The local orphanage did their best to care for him, but he was getting worse and worse.  He was severely jaundiced, his face swollen and his eyes seemed to be bleeding, and he had a fever.  Things did not look good for Reese at all. He was admitted to hospital here in Beijing and he was eventually able come to New Day to wait for the miracle he badly needed.

On February 11 2014 we got good news - a liver was available for Reese - and he received his liver transplant in the early hours of February 12.  The operation went well and seemed at first to have been a success.  His color improved almost immediately, and we were looking forward to having him back with us pretty soon.

It's more than a month later though, and he's still not home.  He's still in ICU, on a ventilator.  He battled an infection in his IV port that caused him to run a fever.  He's uncomfortable with the tube in his mouth, and his nanny is not able to be with him because of the strict infection control policies of ICU.

One thing that Reese's fight has made us realize is just how much of a miracle Alea, Talley and Mark's stories are.  Their stays in ICU were short in comparison, and Reese's extended time in ICU is much more normal with transplants of this type.

We just long to have Reese healthy enough to bring back home to New Day, so that he can recover and grow strong here just like Alea, Talley and Mark.  It does encourage us to know that so many friends across the world are standing with us, longing and hoping for Reese to come home.

We are committed to fighting for Reese because his life is precious and worth battling for.  ICU stays are expensive, around $820 per day, and this battle is draining our funds.  You can help, and you can believe with us that the fight will be won.