Meet
Liji
AGE: 2 1/2 YEARS
LiJi was born in the spring of 2007 and abandoned shortly after somewhere in Inner Mongolia, a region in the north of China.The local orphanage sent him to China Care when he was three months old, hoping we could help correct his birth defects – one of his eyes was smaller than normal and he had a deformed thumb.
liji
When he arrived, however, his condition appeared much more grave than that. A hospital check-up showed he also had a heart defect. We provided the heart surgery when he was six months old and stayed with him and comforted him throughout the entire process. LiJi had an incredibly tough time before and after the surgery. He was admitted to the hospital several times for pneumonia and heart treatment. He is currently on heart medication and living at the China Care Home in Beijing.
LiJi needs round-the-clock care as well as rehabilitation exercises to keep him fit. Now two-and-a-half years-old, he just started to sit with support and crawl a little. When asked to give a smile, LiJi waves his hands and flashes a big grin. He also claps his hands and waves goodbye when asked. He turns over nimbly and crawls for short distances to grab toys he likes. He can say the word “mama” clearly.
He has remained in stable health in the last few months and we have high hopes that his development will continue to progress as he gets even stronger.
This little boy loves to laugh and prefers to play by himself. Although he does like to horse around with his caregivers, moving his legs as if on a bicycle and then playfully tackling them.
