Monday, October 31, 2016

Down Syndrome Awareness Month (Oct)


October is Down Syndrome awareness month. A time to celebrate the joy, the love, and abilities that individuals with down syndrome have. What does that mean for us here at New Day Foster Home…?


Smiles that instantly warm your heart


Tons of learning, developing and growing...


in their own unique and beautiful way.


Hearts that are always sweet and open to help


A lot of interesting and captivating moments


Finding so much joy in the simplest of things



Expressions that instantly connect with you


Never taking things too seriously

There is a lot of lessons we can learn from individuals with Down Syndrome. All of their hearts have blessed New Day in incredible ways. They all continue to teach us how to love a little more, laugh a little harder and care more deeply! Happy Down Syndrome awareness month!


Sunday, October 30, 2016

NDNorth: Veronica's Big Day

Autumn is peak birthday season here at New Day North. Rina and Chad had their birthdays in September, and Evangeline at the beginning of October. The three good friends celebrated their 3rd birthdays together at our In-Orphanage Care Center, and in Hohhot at the Special Needs Care and Training Center, Veronica just had her own birthday party- also celebrating the big number 3!


She wasn't quite sure what to make of all the attention and the candles- and what is this round brown thing with a 3 on it anyway?


What was it I was supposed to do now?


We'll show you how the birthday routine goes this time, Veronica! Next year you'll be all prepared. 


New little gloves are a fitting Inner Mongolian gift, yes? 


First bite of cake... 


This isn't bad, guys! 


Here is how you do it on your own...


...it tastes even better this way!

The photos below just speak for themselves...






Is that really all the cake there is? 

It's OK, Veronica, next year will come. And hopefully, next year will see you safe and happy with your forever family. For now, you are a treasure who blesses those around you every day, and we love being a part of your life. Happy 3rd Birthday! 

Thursday, October 27, 2016

Christmas Sponsorship 2016

It's that time again. We know…There is still at least another month until it's time to bring out the decorations and trim the tree, but it's not too early to start shopping, especially when you're shipping gifts all the way to China!


If you've followed along with our Christmas Sponsorship program the last few years you know we've done it several different ways.

This year we are going to ask you to send gifts for the children.  Does this sound like something you'd be interested in? Good!


Here's how everything is going to work!

What?
Sponsoring Christmas presents for the children at New Day Beijing and New Day South.

How?
  • Go to THIS PAGE and choose the child you would like to sponsor. Then e-mail Abby (abby@newdaycreations.com) and let me know which child you want to sign up for.
  • I will then send you a confirmation e-mail with a list of wants and needs for the child you have signed up for.
  • Shop for your child
  • Ship the package (medium flat rate or shoebox size only) to the address listed below no later than November 16th.

Important Details
  • The older children will have 3 Christmas sponsors and the younger children will have 2 sponsors.
  • All sponsorship will be on a first come, first served basis.
  • When children are fully sponsored it will say so under their picture
  • Shipping a medium flat rate box via USPS (the most affordable and trustworthy option) costs about $60, This is the cheapest way to get something from the US to China. If you are sponsoring more than one child it will be more affordable to use a larger box than to ship two packages, and you are welcome to do this.
  • Please follow the wants and needs list as closely as possible!

If all the children are sponsored, or you want a way to bless the children without shopping and paying for shipping, please consider donating to our acute care fund.

You can also donate as a gift for someone else. Please let us know by e-mailing abby@newdaycreations if you do so and we will be happy to send a card that you can print and give as a gift. 



Thank you for helping us spread the cheer this Christmas!
Wednesday, October 26, 2016

Wordless Wednesday: Leo's laughter


Tuesday, October 25, 2016

Transformation Tuesday: Hallie

A sweet little girl arrived last December in need of surgery for a cardiothoracic malformation. Hallie (Celeste at the time) was just two months old and we loved getting to know and cuddling this sweet little girl.



Soon after arriving Hallie was able to have the surgery she needed and her recovery began. It was evident that she was a joyful girl and when she smiled it filled her whole face.



It is amazing to look back and see how much Hallie has grown. From a teeny tiny baby to an almost toddler who is full of adventures and can't be stopped.




Her silly faces and crazy hair never cease to bring a smile to anyone who sees her.



Each and every day she grows more, learns more, and brings more joy to those around her.



Soon Hallie will leave for her next big adventure, joining her forever family. We'll miss this sweet girl but are honored to have played a part in her story.
Friday, October 21, 2016

Ronan's Amazing Story

Three-month-old Ronan came to New Day Foster Home because he had been diagnosed with a serious heart condition; he needed surgery that his orphanage was not able to provide. When he was four months old, we took him in for a checkup to arrange his heart surgery; they said that he was too young for surgery and that we should wait. After another four months, further tests showed that his pulmonary arteries were very under developed, so again the hospital refused to do heart surgery.


In April of 2016, a year after Ronan had arrived, we took him back to the hospital, and then to a different hospital; both said they were not able to operate because of the condition of his Pulmonary arteries. We were told that we should wait until he was two years old.
At this point, Karen was able to consult with a surgeon in the US, a renowned cardiologist. His advice was to do surgery now. He said that Ronan was a candidate for surgery and delaying it would cause irreparable damage to his heart. There would be no real improvement in his oxygen levels post-surgery, but doing the surgery he recommended would give Ronan the opportunity to have further successful surgery in the future.
The problem was that every hospital we checked with refused to do the surgery, they said it was too high risk. Without surgery Ronan’s chance of survival was low. He desperately needed surgery as soon as possible. We needed to find a brave, skillful and compassionate surgeon who was willing to take the risk and take on Ronan’s case.
Our medical director contacted a surgeon at Bayi Children’s Hospital, and he agreed to take on Ronan’s case. In September, Ronan was admitted to the hospital.
It was a grueling, complicated, eight-hour surgery. Afterwards, the surgeon was so exhausted that he wasn’t even able to speak to us to report back on how it had gone. His assistant told us that they had been forced to change plans half-way through the surgery. They were not optimistic about the speed of Ronan’s recovery; with a similar case the previous year, the little girl had stayed in the ICU for over a month and eventually needed a trach in order to come off of the ventilator.


After just two days, Ronan was out of the ICU. Just nine days after the surgery, he was discharged from the hospital and back at New Day. The surgeon was so surprised! He said that it was worth all the hard work in the operating room. He told us that he actually likes to take on the serious cases that no-one else was willing to accept, and thanked us for trusting him with Ronan’s heart.
Wednesday, October 19, 2016

Give for George

When George arrived a few weeks ago we knew he would need major heart surgery, and that he needed it soon.  It seemed risky, but there was no other choice but to say yes to loving and caring for this precious little boy.



George's life saving surgery is estimated to cost about $15,000. That may seem like a huge amount of money, but we have seen surgeries funded in the past, and believed that George's surgery would be provided for as well.

At the same time a donor contacted us wondering if we would be interested in running a matching gift campaign. Knowing that George's surgery would be costly we excitedly said yes.



What does this mean?

Every gift up to $5,000 will be doubled! That means if $5,000 is donated for George's surgery we will have raised $10,000 of the $15,000 he needs! (lack of funding will not delay George's surgery)

You may think, I don't have much to give. What we know, is every little bit adds up, especially now when $10 becomes $20, $50 becomes $100, and $100 becomes $200!

To donate CLICK HERE

*If you donate by check please e-mail abby@newdaycreations.com so we can add you contributions to the total!*

Now is your opportunity to double your giving and to double your impact. Will you join in the village that is playing a part in rewriting George's story?


Tuesday, October 18, 2016

Transformation Tuesday: Halle Grace

Last December a little girl with big, beautiful eyes arrived at the foster home slightly unsure of her new surroundings.


Halle Grace (Andrea at the time) was a little over a year old and needed treatment for Thalassemia. We were happy to help give her the care she required and loved seeing her sweet and spunky personality appear.



Halle Grace was quickly on the move and there was no stopping her.


We also discovered that she has quite the silly side to her. The nannies would often be found laughing at her antics.





Simply put, with that smile and those dimples, Halle Grace has stolen a lot of hearts.




We've loved having the opportunity to watch Halle Grace grow and shine, and are so excited that she is about to join her forever family, where we are sure there will be no stopping her!