Can you believe it’s September? Here where I am, in the Philippines, it’s the beginning of what we call the “ber” months, which to us, signals that the year is creeping towards a close and Christmas countdowns have started (we love Christmas here). For the Hope Station staff, it means a lot of wonderful stories from the year of working daily with families of children with special needs; of wins and heartfelt moments.

So I asked our team in China what some of their favorites are so far! And the stories they shared were so good that they didn’t all fit in one email. So consider this Part 1.

Family Care Specialist Jade’s favorite win this year is Ke Wen’s. Here’s what she shared with me:

Ke Wen was born completely blind due to being born premature, and developed cerebral palsy due to a lack of oxygen. She was taken by her grandmother for therapy since she was a child.

This year, she can no longer enjoy the therapy subsidy of the Disabled Persons’ Federation because of her being overage, but she did not give up and insisted on doing her exercises at home. Accompanied by her parents, she also learned to swim.

I was really surprised and in admiration that a child who has difficulty walking and can’t see can learn to swim. She told us that at first, she didn’t dare to go into the water at all. As soon as the water went past her chest, she would get very nervous. She would grab the coach with both hands and not let go, and sometimes she would scream in fright.

But because Grandma was encouraging her, holding her in the water, she learned slowly step by step. Although she often chokes on water during the process, she also said that in the water, because it reduces her body weight, she can exercise the strength of her lower limbs well, which is very helpful for therapy.

And just in case you want to read Jade’s story in her own words:

可雯出生时因神经发育不足导致全盲，又因缺氧患上脑瘫，从小由外婆带着做康复。今年因超龄无法再享受残联的康复补助，但她没有放弃，自己在家坚持训练。在家长的陪同下，她还学会了游泳。一个走路都困难、又看不见的孩子能学会游泳，我真的很惊讶，也很佩服。她告诉我们，一开始她根本不敢下水，水一超过胸口就紧张得不行，双手死死抓住教练不放，有时还会吓得尖叫。全靠外婆一直在旁边鼓励她，在水里拉着她，一步一步慢慢学会的。虽然过程中常常会呛水，但她也说，在水里因为减轻了身体重量，反而能很好地锻炼下肢力量，对康复很有帮助。

Erica, our Family Strengthening Program Manager, shared a story about a mom of a boy with autism.

I want to share the story of walking alongside a mother. Because the parents were under too much pressure in the process of raising their child,* there were many conflicts between husband and wife, which led to divorce.

The child’s mother fell into severe anxiety and depression because it was difficult to face the changes in marriage. She showed symptoms of mental illness, and even had suicidal tendencies.

I spent a lot of time with the child’s mother, chatting with her, going with her to the hospital to see a psychiatrist, showing her loving kindness at any time of day, and walking with her slowly through the darkest moments in her life.

The child’s mother began to slowly return to normal from a chaotic state of life, had new life goals, and found a new career direction — she is now employed at a kindergarten.

During a home visit in August, she linked arms with me and shared funny moments from her job. I am deeply grateful to have stood by her during her most painful times and to have witnessed her transformation; this experience has given me tremendous confidence and encouragement, reinforcing just how meaningful our work truly is.

Here you can read Erica’s story in her own words:

我想分享陪伴一位妈妈的故事，因为父母在抚养孩子*过程中压力过大，夫妻之间有很大的矛盾导致离婚，孩子的妈妈也因为难以面对婚姻的变化陷入严重的焦虑和抑郁，出现精神失常的症状，甚至有自杀的倾向，我花了很多的时间陪伴孩子的妈妈，跟她聊天，陪她到医院看心理医生，生活中也给她随时到关怀，陪她慢慢走过生活中最黑暗的时刻，孩子的妈妈开始从混乱的生活状态慢慢回归正常，也有了新的生活目标，找到了新的职业方向，孩子的妈妈在一家幼儿园工作，在8月份的探访中，孩子的妈妈挽着我的手，跟我分享她工作中有趣的事情，我很感恩在她最难过的日子里我陪着她，也见证了她的蜕变，也给我了很大的信心和鼓励，我们的工作真的非常有意义。

*name ommited for privacy

Like Erica said, these are the stories that remind us of the meaning of what we do.

Every home visit, every therapy session, every family event… matters. 

Watch for Part 2, with Angela and Margarete’s stories, coming in October!