Meet Timmy and Ivan

You see those 3 beautiful faces? All 3 are created, known and loved by God, all 3 are pre-schoolers, and all 3 have a deadly condition known as hydrocephalus. If left untreated, it will sooner or later kill them. (Read more here about hydrocephalus, what it is, how it kills, and what treatment is needed.)

The difference? That little girl, my precious daughter, was born in the US, received the care she desperately needed from the moment she was born. She had parents who loved her, advocated for her, and found her the best care. She had doctors and therapists who rallied around her and fought for her well-being. She had access to hospitals, insurance, and early intervention programs. She got the surgery she needed, the shunt placed that would literally save her life...

Timmy and Ivan... born in a country on the other side of the world that is still dealing with the aftermath of a nuclear disaster that occurred decades ago. A country where children with phsyical, mental, etc, 'deformities' are considered worthless, and end up in orphanages as their parents are convinced they won't amount to anything, and have no access to resources to help their kids. Hopelessness... hopelessness for the parents, hopelessness for the child. I wonder what their pictures would have looked like - what they would have looked like, and how they would have been doing, if they had gotten the same care as the little girl in the middle.

Hydrocephalus, left untreated causes severe delays in motorskill development, cognitive delay, or in Timmy's case, blindness. The pressure from the accumulating fluid in his brain is so tremendous, he can't even open his eyes anymore... If you cannot already tell by his picture, Timmy must be in constant pain. Untreated hydrocephalus causes constant headaches, nausea, vomiting, and even lethargy. Untreated, it will lead to death. Treatment? The surgical placement of a shunt, but those in charge of these boys' lives have been asked, and don't want to bother... outrageous isn't it?

You see, as if living like that is not enough, within a few months, Timmy and Ivan will transfer – as is custom in this country – from their orphanage to a mental institution, a terrible, awful  (google, or find video’s on YouTube so you know I’m not making this up) place where kids like themselves are put AND… left to die. It is estimated that 80-90% of children transferred to an institution will die within the first year. Considering Timmy and Ivan’s condition, they will mostly be left in their cribs, wither to die, and become part of that statistic.

Timmy, and Ivan (they're in the same orphanage) are in desperate need, I can’t even begin to emphasize how desperate, of a family that will love them forever and get them the care – shunt surgery to begin with!!! – they so desperately need. Will you PLEASE help us? Both Timmy and Ivan are listed on Reece’s Rainbow (see links on the side of the blog). The cost to adopt from this country is approx. 25,000 ($5000 more if adopting a second child at the same time). MONEY is what’s keeping these children from finding loving, committed families, and those children for whom a large or full adoption grant had been raised, have always found a home. Will you help us raise money for Timmy and Ivan’s adoption fund? All money donated is tax-deductible. You can go directly to the Reece’s Rainbow website, or use the Chip-In functions on in the sidebars. ChipIn is part of PayPal and is completely secure.

There is power in numbers, and TOGETHER we can make a difference for these little boys. Will you help? Pray, spread the word/blog, donate, find their family...