Cindy Morrison
In 2018, I had the honor of meeting a beautiful 11 year old little boy named JiaLu. His eyes somehow conveyed that he was an old soul, thoughtful and captivating. His frail body was hidden beneath the layers of clothing, but his distended abdomen revealed an enlarged spleen, a consequence of poorly managed Thalassemia.
I learned that JiaLu was the eldest of three children, all living with their parents in a village in Xingye, Guangxi, China. He has two younger sisters. The family raises rabbits and grows fruits and rice. His father appeared stoic as I was told that his wife suffers from mental illness. Living in poverty had prevented regular blood transfusions for JiaLu. It was clear that their lives have been filled with hardship.
After learning of JiaLu’s situation, we at Knowing Hope Inc knew that we could help. We began arranging for blood transfusions in hopes of decreasing his spleen size and improving his overall condition. We made sure his parents knew that there is hope for children with Thalassemia when given regular blood transfusions and medications. We made sure they understood that we cared about JiaLu and that his life was important.
Despite our best efforts, JiaLu’s condition continued to worsen. By late 2020 his situation was dire. JiaLu desperately wanted to go to school, but he had lost more weight and was struggling to walk and even breathe.
We arranged for JiaLu to go to the best hospital in Nanning, the capital city of Guangxi. He received more blood transfusions and the doctors suggested trying a non-surgical (embolization) procedure to decrease his spleen size. The doctors had fears for his ability to survive any surgery such as spleen removal. We told his parents we would pay the costs for whatever treatment the doctors were recommending and JiaLu received the spleen embolization. This seemed to help his overall quality of life and gave him almost two more years of living.
In late 2022, JiaLu died of complications due to his Thalassemia. He was only 15 years old. How I wish we could have done more for him. How I wish we had learned about him sooner, so we could have partnered with his parents earlier. How I wish he could be at home, helping his parents care for baby rabbits, picking fruit in the field, or playing with his sisters. How I wish he could be at school, laughing and playing with classmates.
His life mattered. He was a beloved son and brother. He touched the lives of his doctors and all of us who were blessed and lucky to know him. How I wish I could tell him that he inspires me to continue the work of bringing hope to vulnerable children, one life at a time.
We will never forget you JiaLu. You made the world a better place by being in it. I promise that we will not stop until all children have access to the medical care needed to survive and thrive with Thalassemia.
About the Author: Cindy Morrison was called to be a single mother to 5 daughters adopted from China. Three of her daughters have major medical diagnoses requiring frequent life saving medical care through Boston Children’s Hospital. Cindy is also a pediatric occupational therapist and was led to serve orphans and impoverished children in Asia after the adoption of her first daughter in 2002. In 2016, after the liver transplant of her youngest daughter, God led to the establishment of Knowing Hope Inc. The purpose of the Knowing Hope ministry is to serve the most vulnerable children in Asia, focusing on orphan care and orphan prevention. We seek to actively follow James 1:27 Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world and Psalm 82:3 Defend the weak and the fatherless; uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed.