Update:
September 2014...My family found me!!!
This one...
....has been labeled by many people as too risky.
And I agree. When you look at his file, talk to other heart mamas who have "been there, done that" and sread the professional opinions of U.S. doctors, his prognosis is very grim. I have advocated for him in Facebook groups and on a well-read China adoption blog. And his family has yet to find him.
His file contains scary acronyms such as TGA, VSD and also notes his low energy levels. His pictures show blue lips and clubbed fingers due to lack of oxygenated blood. At 9 years old, he still is only slightly taller than my 6 year old and weighs about the same. His body has never received any surgical help, and doctors and those with heart kiddo "experience" are baffled at the fact that he is still alive.
Gabriel.
Just an advocacy name assigned by someone at our agency to make it easier for those of us who struggle with the pronunciation of foreign names...yet I cannot begin to think that this is just a random name.
You see, Gabriel means "strong man of God."
Oh, people. God is in the details!
No one truly knows what Gabriel's future holds if he is adopted. But I do know what his future holds in China. Like many other children I have seen, he is considered "terminal" in China. This means there is nothing else that can/will be done for his heart in his birth country. But even if his family finds him and works to bring him home...is it too late for surgery? Is the pulmonary hypertension too high? Is he a transplant candidate? Will he survive?
So many unknowns. And that is sad. But not as sad as the thought of him going through all of this alone.
So I am asking for your help. Please share this blog post.
Because somewhere there is a family that is missing this sweet smile and the LIFE in these eyes.
Somewhere there is a family that is missing out on a risk worth taking!
For more information on starting the journey to Gabriel, please email me at saylorlori@comcast.net. Although he is currently on the shared list and can be pulled by any agency with a China program, there is a substantial grant available to a qualified family that chooses to use WACAP as their placing agency.
