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Saturday, March 28, 2015 is a day that is branded on my mind forever. I'll never forget what I saw on my phone only 2 nights ago. I saw the unread message in my inbox and I knew instantly. She sends me an email almost every day but this one was different. I fell to my knees before I even opened it completely. "I'm very sorry to tell you that she passed away last night. We didn't even have time to get her to the emergency room. It was very sudden. I don't know what else to say. I am so sorry." Ru was 1 day from turning 4 months old. Searing loss. Immense pain. A hurt in my body and heart, much like the one I had when we lost our first biological baby in 2004. There are few words to describe the physical and emotional pain that comes with knowing your child has died. We only knew Ru for a couple months and never had the privilege of holding her but that doesn't diminish the truth that she was ours. She was a fighter. We had this in common. She was fighting f...

We continue to pray diligently for sweet Ru and we appreciate all of you who are doing the same. She is recovering well and is scheduled to be released from the hospital on Monday. We do have a bit of news that we believe is exciting. I am reluctant to share because this has been such a roller coaster ride of ups and downs. I hate to say something is "good" news when it all falls apart the next day. At the same time, I know you are eager for any information, even if it's up one day and down the next. So here goes... Her poop is green! Ha! What does that mean? In Dr. Cheng's words, it means the bile is beginning to drain as it should and the Kasai is working! We even received a picture of the wonderful outcome! ;) Remember, there was a  very small chance it could work and we believe God is moving mountains once again! What this means for her longer term future, we know not. But right now, each day is a victory and we are considering today just that. Keep fighting Ru R...

"For men are not cast off by the Lord forever. Though he brings grief, he will show compassion, so great is his unfailing love ." (Lamentations 3:31-32) We finally have a generous amount of information following Ru's surgery. We'd love to share this with you now, as we know so many of you have been praying and waiting as patiently as we have. Ru's story is one that we are all a part of and we are eager to pass her news along to those of you who have been praying, giving, hoping, encouraging. Ru survived the surgery. This is a victory we give thanks for. She survived, is now out of the ICU and recovering well in a ward room. She has a nanny with her and will likely be in the hospital for about a week before she returns to Little Flower. The diagnostic portion of the surgery revealed important news. Previous ultrasound testing was deceiving. These tests gave Dr. Cheng hope that Ru's bile ducts were not completely obstructed and that there was a possibility of re...

Yaru is being admitted to Beijing United Family Hospital right now. We don't know the exact time for the surgery but we know it'll be Tuesday morning. They are 13 hours ahead of us so we are thinking surgery may begin around 8:00pm our time Monday night. I don't foresee much sleep for this mama tomorrow night. I'm hoping that any news will trickle to us as it becomes available. If you are confused about the purpose of the surgery, expected chance of success, and what it means for the outcome of Ru's life... well, you're not alone. There are so many unknowns, even for the doctors. We do know the first part of the surgery will be exploratory. This will include a laparoscopic cholangioscopy (which is basically a scope to examine the bile duct) and a liver biopsy. These diagnostic procedures are generally non-invasive. However, babies with biliary atresia are prone to rapid blood loss and there is a concern among the doctors about the possibility that she may l...

Yaru is officially scheduled for surgery on Tuesday! Praise The Lord! There is a foundation in Beijing that has agreed to help with the cost. China Little Flower, who is currently caring for Ru, will be responsible for much of the cost as well. Without these two groups, Ru would literally be without the hope of surgery. Both organizations use donated funds to provide life-saving surgeries for the "undeserved" in China. We have committed to helping them raise funds for Ru's surgery in order for this to be able to happen. To learn more about China Little Flower, you can visit their site HERE. And HERE  is information about the doctor who has been fighting for Ru and who will perform the surgery. I am pleading and praying for you to consider this request. Will you please pray over the possibility of helping to fund this $50,000 surgery? If we do not fund it in full, the foundations will still proceed with paying for the surgery. However, any deficit in their surgery bud...

(Written on March 12, 2015) My head is spinning. The past couple days, and the few to come, have been and will be a roller coaster ride for sure. There are so many details I'm not able to share. There are confidentiality laws that do not allow us to receive or share information. The last thing we want to do is compromise this adoption or compromise the relationship between governments who allow international adoptions to continue. I realize this post will present many questions. Please understand the position we are in. That said, here's what I can share. Basically by chance (no such thing), Ru saw a well-respected, brilliant, international doctor yesterday who has taken a second look at her diagnoses and prognosis. She was only there to receive immunizations when this doctor showed favor on her. There is a ton of reevaluation going on and many doctors involved, including some at Stanford University. The medical information is vast and confusing but it seems there may be hope f...

I haven't had a ton of time to sit and write much but I also realize that some of you who aren't on FB check my blog for updates. So here's a quick update that we posted on our FB page yesterday. It turns out Ru is not a candidate for the Kasai surgery that we were hoping would extend her life. Apparently, her liver is already too damaged to have the surgery. It seems her only hope now is a transplant and it needs to happen soon. Please join us in praying her home quickly. https://www.facebook.com/230680524654/photos/a.10152971351484655.1073741868.230680524654/10153115638284655/?type=1&theater Thank you, friends! But Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." (Matthew 19:26)

I know so many of you are waiting to hear anything new about baby girl. While I don't have any earth-shattering updates, we have received a tidbit here and there. It seems they took Ru to Beijing yesterday for some medical tests. This is great news! As you know, we are waiting to hear if she may be a candidate for the Kasai surgery. Kasai could potentially add months to her life, in order that she may make it home for a transplant. We have no idea what tests are being done and we are praying that we'll somehow be privy to the results. Nonetheless, she is being examined which means someone is listening to the pleas of her advocates. We also have reason to believe that since she was taken to Beijing for medical evaluation, she has been placed in a foster-orphanage called Little Flower. This home takes special care of their babies, as most of them are hospice recipients. We haven't received confirmation from anyone that she's actually there. They do have a FB page and you ...