Touching My Heart
I’ve been wanting to commit this story to paper/my blog for a while and finally have time to do it. It concerns the little boy in this picture.
This was on May 12th, the day before I met Parker. I was lucky enough to be able to visit two other orphanages before going the next day to see my son. This was at the Danang Red Cross Orphanage (which I believe is due to be demolished and rebuilt because of damage from the storms in 2006). Anyway, this orphanage has mostly babies, at least that I saw. There were a couple of older kids, too, including this little boy who I’d say was between 4 and 6 years old.
He was just barely able to stretch out completely in his crib, and his right hand hung out of the side, through the slats. He was pretty unresponsive, and seemed to have some mental/physical disabilities. After cooing over the cute babies I walked over to his crib and talked to him. He obviously couldn’t tell exactly where I was, but I could at least tell he knew someone was talking by him or to him. He was blind, which I didn’t realize at first; once I did, I reached down and rubbed the back of his hand and he moved his head in that general direction…so, I knew he at least had some perception of his surroundings and self. After seeing him respond I held his hand for a few minutes, I felt so badly for him. Very few people are likely to take the time to go and pay attention to an older, disabled child…I couldn’t stop thinking that perhaps no one ever gives him affection or pays attention to him. So, I continued to rub and hold his hand, and then I sang him a little song. He turned toward me while I was singing, and a tear rolled from his eye down his cheek…and that’s when he embedded himself firmly in my heart forever. I will never forget the look on his face or that tear, which I can only hope came from the happiness of genuine human contact and affection.
If you’re ever at that orphanage in Danang, take a minute and go give some love to the kids who day after day and year after year likely get none.
I received some new information from someone who knows more about this little boy. It appears that he is actually 8 years old, and suffers from the effects of hydrocephalus, a condition that ageny orange can cause. The boy may not be blind, I concluded that because of his behavior and the way he seemed unable to visually locate me when I spoke to him.
May 12th, 2008 at 2:01 PM
[...] was really touched by a special little boy at the Da Nang [...]