To you this picture may seem like just a photo of a Chinese passport, but to a few people, it means so much more than that. You see,this passport belongs to a young friend of mine from the special needs orphanage Global Partners in Life supports. She has so many medical problems that it is hard to list them all, but I will try.
She has scoliosis so severely that she sometimes only eats one meal a day, because her spine is curved so far that her stomach pushes against her spine causing discomfort when her belly is full. My friend also has dwarfism, metal rods in her leg, hips that are out of joint, and she has had foot and knee surgeries.
There are a few organizations I want to thank for their assistance bringing my friend to the States for some medical attention. Delta Airlines graciously flew my friend and a caregiver from China to Atlanta, Georgia.
Once they arrived, Shriners International took over. They, along with Delta, arranged a special meeting at the airport with the of State of Georgia. At that meeting, they made my friends honorary citizens.
In the next phase of the trip, Delta flew my friends to Philadelphia, where the Shriners Hospital gave my friend wonderful medical advice. My friend saw two back specialists, one pain specialist, and a hip specialist. On top of this, the Shriners paid for all her expenses. They also agreed to provide lodging for any length of time for recovery. The doctors agreed that since she could walk now, the surgery needed was too risky for her. No operations were performed at that time.
It was wonderful for me to see that fantastic organizations like Delta Airlines and the Shriners were willing to help an orphan from China. I feel eternally indebted to them.