Help 137 Special Needs Orphan Children in India

Julie is a sassy, but sweet outgoing little girl. She arrived at our Diaper Drop Sarah’s Covenant Homes (SCH) three and a half years ago, at the age of 5. Prior to SCH, she spent years in a government orphanage where her hydrocephalus went untreated. She has a deep love and appreciation for food and feels happiest when she is in someones arms and is able to participate in all the fun. Julie is quite the social butterfly and gets along with everyone so easily. Her housemother and caregivers couldn't help but fall head over heels for her sweet smile and care free spirit.

Thanks to your support, we’ve been blessed to provide SCH with cloth diapers for Julie and the other children who call SCH home. By providing the basic need of diapers, Julie’s caregivers are able to invest in specialized therapies and corrective surgeries that increase her chances of adoption!

Julie needs a family to call her own, and her foster mother Colleen wrote the following about her:

“Julie has hydrocephalus and has a VP shunt that she received 4 years ago. Because Julie did not receive a shunt until she was older she has some physical delays that may be related to damage from untreated hydrocephalus. When Julie first received her shunt 3 years ago she had some medical complications and regressed in almost all areas. With the help of her teachers and therapists she has regained the skills she previously had and has learned and progressed ever since then. Julie’s official age is 13 but we believe that she is younger, closer to 9 or 10. We are in the process of getting her age changed but a family should be open to the fact that she may be a bit younger then what is officially listed.

Julie speaks over 100 words in English and speaks many more in her native language. She understands most of what is being said to her in English and she can identify all of the children and adults in the house she lives in. Julie can count up to 5, identify some basic colors, and answer basic questions. For a long time Julie told everyone her name was baby and refused to say her name. Now she says her name is Julie but her nickname “Julie Baby” has stuck! Julie loves to attend circle time every morning and requests her favorite preschool songs. She can identify a photo of her herself and choose the letter that her name starts with. After circle time she works 1:1 with a teacher on identifying shapes and colors and working on fine motor skills. Academically Julie is around a 4-5 year old level.

Julie is a great sister to all the children she lives with. She loves to ask to “hold” the kids, even if they are bigger then her. She will hold babies and the older kids alike and give them kisses. Sometimes we let Sarita and Julie lay on the same bed for a bit before going to sleep. Julie loves these mini sleepovers and gets so excited when we let Sarita her “take care of” Sarita. On nights when she doesn’t have Sarita to take care of Julie loves to snuggle with one of her baby dolls and give it kisses. Julie loves to give out kisses and hugs to everyone in the house and always greets visitors who come into the house. It’s not unusual to find her bossing around a new visitor to the house, asking them to get her a book off the shelf or bring a toy to her. Julie is very compassionate towards everyone in the house and likes to be in on whatever action is going on. Nearly everyone who meets Julie uses the words diva, sassy, and sweet to describe her. Julie is well known for her “duck lips” which she pulls out when you ask her to smile for a photo.

Julie gets physical therapy five times a week. She has been working with the same physical therapist for the past 2 years and they gave made some great gains together. Julie and her physical therapist have a unique relationship and her PT knows how to get Julie to participate in therapy even on days when Julie would rather not do anything! Julie crawls as her main mode of transport. She wears AFOs to help stabilize her ankles when she weight bears and to to keep her from developing contractures. Julie can pull into a tall kneel and can pull up to stand from a seated position with help. Julie does not always enjoy physical therapy and can often be found complaining about it and saying things like “It’s too cold” or “Oh my goodness” during PT that keep everyone laughing! Julie will eventually need a hip surgery to help with hip dysplasia. Her PT and orthopedic surgeon would like to see her build up some more muscles before she undergoes surgery. Although we are not sure if Julie will ever walk without assistance she will benefit from specially made wheelchairs, standers, and other orthopedic devices that she cannot currently access.

Julie is a very smart child and benefits from structure and routine. We believe in a family with consistent routines and care she would be fully potty trained and some of the attention seeking behaviors we currently see would be lessen with consistent attention and love. Julie has done well and made so much progress in her years at Sarah’s Covenant Homes but Julie needs a family that will love her and help her achieve her maximum potential. If you’d like to learn more about the requirements to adopt Julie please click here, and you can also visit her Reece’s Rainbow profile.

Even if you can’t adopt Julie please share this blog post so that her family can find her! And please pray for a family to step up for Julie so that she can know the love of a forever family.” 

Thanks for helping Julie & the other children we serve at Sarah's Covenant Homes. I encourage you to reach me at stephanie@jakesdiapers.org with any questions you have. I'd love to hear from you! 

~ Stephanie

Links:

• The Story of Jake's Diapers

Brittany is a foster mother to thirteen children in India at our Diaper Drop Sarah’s Covenant Homes (SCH). She wrote the following, and it’s an honor to share her words with you.

I often find myself hesitant of telling our children’s histories because I know that the stories behind how they came to us and the state they were in are utterly and wholly theirs.  I want to respect who they were, who they are now, and who they’ll one day be.  I want to give their adult selves the chance to write their stories however they choose because that’s their right as an individual, as an autonomous human being.  I never want to be a part of telling their story inaccurately or changing it for my own benefit.  Unfortunately, this hesitancy can come at the detriment of my fundraising efforts AND steals all of you from the pure joy of knowing and loving our children.  So here is a bit of Josie’s story as I know it; may every word honor her past, her present, and her future.

Josie was born with spina bifida and hydrocephalus.  She came to Sarah’s Covenant Homes (SCH) on Christmas Eve 2015 at only 1 ½ months old after having her myelomeningocele (opening in her spinal column) closed and a VP shunt (to drain the extra fluid from her brain) placed.  While Josie’s initial placement at SCH seemed to be simply as a way to provide her adequate post-surgical care and rehabilitation, it ended up saving her life!  Shortly after coming into our care, Josie’s VP shunt malfunctioned requiring frequent medical interventions and at 4 months old a new VP shunt was placed.  Until ?????  Josie’s shunt had been functioning perfectly, but in December we started to notice some slight swelling in her abdomen.  After several ultrasounds and other diagnostic studies, it was determined that while Josie’s shunt is draining the fluid from her brain appropriately, once it reaches her abdomen it’s having a hard time being reabsorbed by her body.  What does this mean?  The shunt has to either be moved to drain into a different area of her body (around her heart or lungs) or we can try an endoscopic third ventriculostomy (ETV).  Our neurosurgeon here in India believes that an ETV procedure is our best option for Josie and we will hopefully schedule the surgery in just a few weeks.

But WHO is Josie?!?

Josie is the very giggliest, sauciest, smushiest 2 year old I’ve ever met.  Her favorite activity is shooting the breeze with her ayah, Alivelu, or our baby ayah, SatyaVathi.  She also enjoys food in all its glorious forms (that’s my girl) and putting everyone in “time-out” for the smallest infraction.  You said no biscuits? Time-out. You think now is a good time to put on her AFOs? Time-out!  You dared to give her one egg when you know she wants two?  TIME-OUT!  Though she’s stalled in meeting her gross motor milestones (she was in leg casts for many weeks prior to having a PICC line placed in her leg which severely limits her mobility to protect the line), all her time spent sitting with adults means that her language processing is improving by leaps and bounds.  She speaks short sentences in both Telugu and English and knows the names of every single person who has ever lived or worked in our home.

Josie is a girl who loves well and who loves big.  She adores Shiloh and often asks to hold her Shiloh-papa (Telugu for baby girl).  She loves Shiloh so much and so well that one of her favorite activities right now while getting her IV infusions is to look at pictures of Shiloh in our family photo album!

 What is Sarah’s Covenant Homes?

Sarah’s Covenant Homes is non-profit organization registered in both America and India.  We respond to and prevent the abandonment of children with disabilities and medical needs in the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.  We currently house 130+ children and adults with various disabilities and medical conditions in over a dozen family-style homes.  We strive to meet the medical, educational, emotional and therapeutic needs of every individual in our care.  SCH is run entirely off of generous donations and partnerships with people from around the world. These partnerships include Jake’s Diapers, who provides for all diapering needs at SCH.

Who are Brittany and Karlie?

Brittany (a Registered nurse) and Karlie (a Barista) are two average American women raising 13 amazingly beautiful Indian children by relying on lots of coffee and even more Jesus.

Thank you for the joy you bring to Josie, and the other children we are blessed to serve through the mission & ministry of Jake's Diapers. If you'd like to learn more, please reach me at stephanie@jakesdiapers.org. I'd love to hear from you. 

~ Stephanie

Links:

• The Story of Jake's Diapers