Stunned and Heartbroken

Dong En, Benjamin, Rebecca and I are all fine. However, it is with great sadness that we tell you that tragedy has struck our travel group. One of the adoptive parents in the group became very ill yesterday and has passed away today. We are all stunned, and are hearts are heavy.

He was diabetic and was apparently having complications from that condition. We are not clear on how much medical help he sought before today. Two of us other families had gone with our local guide Xiao Li (or "Jack") to visit the Guangzhou City Social Welfare Institution (the orphanage at which Dong En and some of the other children in our group spent some or all of their time). (We'll describe this experience later.) On our way back, Xiao Li began getting frequent telephone calls on his cell phone. At one point he looked at us and told us simply that there was a big problem. We soon learned that our travelmate's condition had become critical, that an ambulance had been called, and that he was having heart trouble — possibly a heart attack.

When we returned to the hotel, we spoke to a few other people in the group. The stricken father had been taken to the hospital along with his wife; another father from our group went along to help. Another couple was already taking care or the new daughter of the sick man.

After some uncertainty, prayer, and waiting, the friend who had gone to the hospital with them called our room and notified us that the sick dad had not made it.

I think we are all in shock. This adoption experience, while wonderful, is also very stressful and a huge life change to begin with. And so it was, I'm sure, with the afflicted parents. Moreover, they were first-time parents. We can't begin to fathom the pain and trauma that the woman who lost her husband is going through. We feel such deep sympathy not only for her, but also for their newly-adopted little daughter. We noticed her spending a lot of time being held by her new dad. Somewhere deep in her emotional memory, she almost certainly feels the effects of losing her birthparents. Now she must experience another loss during one of the biggest changes in her life. It is all just too indescribably heartbreaking.

We pray for this mom and this little girl. We ask for your prayers also.