Last year in China, I met this little sweetheart. She was hospitalized when we arrived in her city, and we only got to see her on our last day there.
Maci has thalassemia. Thalassemia is a blood disorder. Unfortunately, it requires regular blood transfusions. She was in the hospital for a blood transfusion and chelation medicine when we arrived. The reason I say this is unfortunate is because China has a blood shortage. It's not a common practice for people to donate blood there. For many people in China, being born with thalassemia is a death sentence.
But Maci is a lucky girl, because she has an adoptive family coming for her! Here in the US, thalassemia is a manageable condition, and I look forward to seeing Maci grow and thrive in Facebook photos.
One of our team members has a child with thalassemia, and was able to assess how Maci is doing. Immigration (USCIS) has granted her family a medical expedite, meaning they will process her paperwork more quickly than usual, so she can get here sooner for much needed medical care.
Maci's family is having a Matilda Jane fundraiser. If you want to shop to help a great cause, please select Michele F's party. Also, if you would like to donate directly toward their adoption fees without making a purchase, you can do so through PayPal.
If you are interested in more information about what it's like to parent a child with thalassemia, here is a great blog post by a mom who now has 2 kids with thal. There are currently 30 waiting children listed on Rainbow Kids with thalassemia, some as young as a year old. The shared list has 9 thal kids, 2 of which are not transfusion dependent. There are facebook groups for families with adopted children with thalassemia, and if you're interested in connecting one on one with an experienced mom to ask questions, I'm happy to introduce you to a couple.
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