When I moved here in 2006 my room mate volunteered in the local hospital looking after the babies who had been abandoned there. I started to visit too helping to feed, change and hold these little fragile souls who often newly born had been left behind by their mothers. Naturally we fell in love more and more with the babies who were only interacted with when we were there and I began to feel deeply connected to one little one Izabela. She came to our ward aged 2 months (having been abandoned at birth and left in the newborn ward) and at 6 months the new social worker found her and the rest of those that we had cared for loving foster families. It was really hard for me to hand her over to her new mum but I could see from the tears in this woman's eyes that she had been waiting and hoping for my little one for a long long time.
The new social worker had managed in a short space of time to find great families for our babies and we were so grateful that she was pursuing this so vigorously. In the end we stopped volunteering there because the demand for our help was higher elsewhere and the babies came less and left quicker.
Today we went back there to take a visitor and I feel so saddened by what we found. We knew that one girl was there a little one with a cleft palate. Left because her family were scared by her condition but who claim they will take her back when she has had her operation. She is still there after almost a year. Left alone in a ugly room with 3 other empty cots entertaining herself with a few toys and a dripping tap.
Hearing the sounds of newborn cries we unlocked the door to another room where 3 babies lay with the sound of a humming heater and a streaming tap for comfort. Two are aged 2 months and the 3rd just over a month. As we held their little bodies a sad looking nurse walked into the room holding two more tiny babies. "They have come from the city hospital, they were left there at birth". They were both only 3 weeks old. I wanted to cry. How are we still in this situation? After 4 and a half years of living here I stand in a hospital room with 6 not sick but abandoned babies. I do not understand it! We held them and loved them and kissed them but only for 2 hours. It is not enough.
I realise that that was once my boy. Left alone and unwanted in a small crib where so many babies have lain before. I hope that families come quickly for these babies. I ache that our foundation no longer plays an active role in caring for these little souls who are so in need of our input. Court and I will try to visit them in our free time but we are not allowed to bring our boys there. So please think of these little ones and love the babies and children in your life because no one should start their life the way Cristi and these babies have!
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