Artsfish Salon

Adopting a waiting child from China; Clubfoot

Kai Dong’s referral picture from WACAP

When we began the process to adopt our first child from China, we decided that we didn’t want an infant. Every family, it seemed, wanted only infants - and many children past the bouncing baby stage were stuck in China’s social welfare institutes with a slim chance to find a family. This is changing now since the waiting time for infants can take up to 3 years in some cases. Many families are exploring other options, and if you are one of those families, I encourage you to read on. These wonderful kids need a home and their physical problems are small.

After the long process of the home study and other endless paperwork, we finally were able to request a referral for a child. We decided on a 2 year old boy with an inward twisting right foot. Kai Dong had been found abandoned near a police station in central China when he was about a month old. A few months after we accepted the referral we were surprised to learn that he had received an operation in China and was up and about! When we picked him up several months later, he was running, running, running! It’s still one of his favorite things to do. Though he still needed some additional treatment and a night brace, the major correction was taken care of.

Now we are in the final stages of the adoption process for our second child, Ming Qiao, who also has a clubfoot. Hers is on the left, Kai Dong’s on the right - bookends! We’re experienced and ready to go! Unfortunately we can’t show a photo of anything but her foot until the adoption is finalized when we pick her up in China, but until then, here is a picture!

Ming’s clubfoot. Click to zoom

Clubfoot occurs statistically in 1 out of every 1000 births, and is one of the most common (and treatable) forms of congenital birth defect. About 50% of the children born with clubfoot are bilateral (involving both feet). Ideally the child should undergo treatment as early as possible. The current mode of treatment is a series of casts that gradually correct the curvature of the foot.

Once the casting phase is over, the child is likely to get a night brace that he or she wears only when sleeping. Because Ming has gone without treatment, it is possible that it is too late to correct with casting alone, and she may need an operation like her big brother. The current schedule is for us to go to pick her up sometime mid-March of this year. We can’t wait!

Treatment has been extremely successful for Kai Dong as you can see in the recent photo below…..

Kai Dong is all better!

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