Casandra

This morning I went to visit Casandra. I have written about her before but to recap.....She is a little girl who lived in the hospital for pretty much her first 18months of life, abandoned because she was born with a cleft palette and lip. She was so badly damaged from being there. I can remember filming her about 6 months ago as she stood just rocking in her crib completely zoned out, showing all the signs of the adults I work with who have been in institutions their whole lives. But, oh my what a change in her now.

She went to live with a family just outside of town about 3 months ago and is already running around and craving attention and to be held in your arms. It was amazing. It made me so happy! We know how different it is for children to be in loving families but oh my to see it first hand. To see that difference in her in just a couple of months is magical! It is so hard to see such young lives waste away but it was a privilege to witness the dramatic change, in such a short time, that the consistency of love can have on a child.

Now we just have to work on getting her brother (aged 2 1/2 months) out from the hospital who was abandoned a month ago because "his mother doesn't need him". I wish that there was more knowledge and use of birth control in this country. It really would help reduce the descrution of so many precious and innocent lives.