Happy World Down Syndrome Day!
In honor of this special day, we want to share FuYin’s story with you.
“FuYin is 6 years old and she suffers from Down Syndrome,” her mama wrote in her first letter to us. “Her eldest brother was diagnosed with Thalassemia (a blood disorder) at about 4 years old. But at that time… there was not enough money to treat him, so the doctors recommended that we have another child.”
They had a second little boy. They hoped his blood would be able to help the older brother’s condition. But, “he was also diagnosed with Thalassemia.”
A few years later, little sister FuYin was born. “We hoped that this child would be healthy and we were full of expectations!”
FuYin was diagnosed with Down Syndrome at a young age. Her parents were devastated.
“When I think of my children’s future, I dare not think how much difficulty they will face!”
Nevertheless, they bravely stepped up to raise her alongside her two older brothers.
FuYin’s family found Hope Station and applied for services in 2021. Slowly but surely, their family’s tension started to fade.
“Hope Station came to visit this week, they brought many speech therapy training books and taught me how to interact with Fu Yin. I am really grateful.”
“In the past, FuYin would only watch TV all day long. I didn’t know how to teach her,” her mama said. “Since Hope Station’s therapist [Jade] gave FuYin a set of cognitive training books, she has been learning and following along with the books every day. Every night before bed, I tell her a little story from the books. Now she can also play with small toys or read books quietly by herself.”
“Our family is very happy to see FuYin’s progress every day.”
But then all of a sudden, life changed drastically for FuYin.
Her dad started writing updates to us instead of her mom. He said his wife had to leave their home indefinitely.
“Because of FuYin’s mother’s job, FuYin has not seen her mother for a month. FuYin misses her very much!”
This change hugely affected FuYin’s daily life. The responsibility of FuYin’s daily care fell to her brothers.
During that time, her dad wrote, “Right now I don’t have as much time to spend with FuYin as I had before. Since FuYin is not used to this, she recently has been getting emotional and losing her temper over small things. I’ve found that FuYin has regressed.”
There is no substitute for a mother’s love and care. Erica, FuYin’s Family Care Specialist, couldn’t fill that gap, and neither could Jade, her therapist. But we knew that FuYin needed more than just therapy. Her whole family needed a loving community to hold them up.
“FuYin has more people to interact with when the staff of Hope Station come to visit our home. They teach her and play with her! They teach her to recognize colors and correct her pronunciation, and they can also give her company at the same time.”
Our Family Care Specialist, Erica, also helped her dad to apply for FuYin to go to a special needs school. She finally started attending this month!
“FuYin especially likes going to kindergarten and has changed a lot. Now she is more polite and has a milder temper, not like before when she used to often lose her temper. Every day, she goes to school happily,” her dad says now.
Now that FuYin can go to school, I can go to work with peace of mind. Her brothers also don’t have such a big burden anymore. I am really thankful for [Hope Station’s] concern and help to my daughter and our family.”
If you would like to support children like FuYin and their families, click on the DONATE button below to make a donation today. Thank you for your prayers and support!
