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by Betty Lim
Who knows what would have happened to Jui Ling is someone had not heard her crying, and found her lying under a bush in the pouring rain?
She was taken by government officials to a local hospital in the Gansu province of north-west China. She remained there for four days, undergoing medical tests, and was then placed into a truely remarkable foster home. Grandma and Grandad Ling, although now both in their eighties, have for many years cared for abandoned children. When Jui Ling arrived, there were nine other children crowded into their small two-roomed house. These children were aged from 2 - 10 years, both boys and girls. Some were severely disadvantaged, unable to speak, walk, or even sit up by themselves. Others were quite normal.
During a routine visit to the foster home I found Jui Ling lying on the Chinese heated brick bed. She was (and still is) very beautiful. She smiled and coo-ed at me, showing off two perfect teeth. She was obviously loved - she was very chubby. Grandma told her story. No-one knows whose child she was. Grandma turned her over and I saw the reason she had been abandonded. She had a large tumor in the middle of her back - a medical condition known as spina bifida, meaning a break in the spinal column. The nerves and spinal fluid protrude through this gap. This can only be repaired by skilled bone surgeons. Fortunately for Jui Ling, she had not been touched by inexpert doctors.
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