Right now, it has been two weeks since I started working here at Cerecare, and I have learned a lot about the children, cerebral palsy, and a lot about myself and the world around me.
This is just like school again! I wake up at around 6am to prepare for work and I leave work at around 5:30 pm. But the only difference is I enjoy every minute of my work here.
First, what Cerecare does is amazing. Cerebral Palsy is incurable, but what this facility does to help the children grow is tremendous. Jiang Jiang, a child with a severe case of spastic cerebral palsy came in to Cerecare when he was 5. At that time, he could not control his speech, his motor movements, walking, and most things we take for granted. Now he is 12 years old. Though he takes more time than others, he is able to walk, talk, use chopsticks, and express himself independently.
Overtime I have bonded with the staff and children here. All of the children here are all very sweet, and all of the staff are qualified for the work they are doing. One of the children, Zhangyi, has the most severe case of cerebral palsy in the history of Cerecare. Zhangyi is a 15 year old boy that has been with us since he was 2. He cannot talk, walk, and is in a comatose like state. However, he is aware of everything is is around him, he is just physically unable to express himself. He is an orphan. His parents abandoned him and was soon discovered by Cerecare. Every 2 months and every major holiday, all of the children here return home for the holidays except for Zhangyi. He has never gone home for Chinese New Year. One of staff, Mrs. Ma, is the one that takes care of him. She takes him home to New Years, every vacation and holiday, and treats him like her own son. She does it not for any other reason except for her love and care of Zhangyi. Since his birth, she has been the only mother he knows.
Every staff member here is all very compassionate, patient, and are some of the best people in this world. This side of China is something the media does not display. This experience I think proves a lot about faith in humanity.
As I continue my next few weeks, I am sure more stories will arise. TBC!