I'm
blessed to have met so many brave, strong and admiring children. One of them
has been on my mind a lot these days so I've decided to devote my Throwback
Thursday to her: baby Nha.
I've met baby Nha when I was working at the Hai Duong Welfare Centre in Vietnam two years ago. Although she was just a baby, she taught me what the real definition of determination is. Baby Nha was a baby orphan who was 'dropped' in the garbage by her parents. Somehow she survived and ended up at the Welfare Centre where she could be loved by the foster moms and me. When she was just four months old, she turned very ill. I had to rush her to the hospital… it was a night that is engraved in my mind and heart for eternity.
I
witnessed two babies pass away, something that was hard on me, but even more unbearable
for the parents involved. Thinking about this really sends shivers down my
spine again. The only good thing about this story was that baby Nha fought
through the night and survived!
The next
morning was the last time that I got to hold her and see her pretty face. She
got to return to the Welfare Centre a couple of days later, but by that time, I
was back in Hanoi to continue my work there. Four months later, I was informed
that a young couple from France will adopt her. That's was the last thing that
I ever heard of her.
I don't
know whether her name is still Nha or not. All I know is that she is a two year
old French citizen now. My wish and hope for her is that she's loved
tremendously by the couple who adopted her. That they are giving her the home
that she literally has never known and had before. She deserves nothing less
than that.
She
won't remember me, but I will never forget baby Nha. Her fighting spirit to
survive has found its way straight to my heart. She will remain in my thoughts and prayers for
infinity.
If you
would like to read my blog post about 'that night', you can:
Much
love,
Bao-Nhi
