This is a home visit I will never forget.

Several years ago, we brought Xiao Hang’s Mama flowers for Mother’s Day. As we walked through the neighborhood together, she proudly raised the flowers in her hand to show them off to her neighbors: “Look! I got flowers, too!” Maybe, she had never received flowers from anyone before.

Then, she told us her story:

“Once, I did an intolerable thing…”

When Xiao Hang was 2, he was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy. They couldn’t afford therapy, but he couldn’t go to school either. Xiao Hang’s mom, dad, and older brother all worked full time just to afford rent, and sometimes Xiao Hang had to be left at home alone.

Xiao Hang’s family loved him very much. But as he got older, it became even more difficult to care for him.

So, his mama left him with another family.

She thought he’d be better off there, in a home with more financial stability.

But when Xiao Hang’s father returned home and found his son gone, he rushed over to see him and found him tied up to a bed.

He came home sobbing and telling his wife that he had failed as a father.

When Xiao Hang’s big brother heard about this, he urgently traveled back from the city where he worked. Together, Xiao Hang’s father and brother went to get him and brought him back home.

Then this mama heard about Hope Station, how we support children with disabilities and their families. She signed up for support, and her son started receiving therapy every single week. Her family had access to educational resources and classes on special needs issues. And just as importantly, she wasn’t alone anymore. 

Most of us will never find ourselves in a situation like this one. And it’s all too easy for us to judge—leaving your child with someone else seems like the furthest thing from love.

But I know this mama. I know she wanted better for her son and her family. And she made an impossible choice that she thought was best.

Fortunately, Xiao Hang’s family quickly realized that nothing can replace their love for him. And the support they received from Hope Station filled in the other gaps.

Support from our kind-hearted donors makes it possible for children like him to stay with their families who love them dearly. Click here to help keep families together.

And Happy Mother’s Day to all the mamas by birth, by choice, and by heart!