Children Who Wait

Meet Samantha!

July 22, 2019 by nohandsbutours 8 Comments

This one is very special little girl. I did not meet her face to face. As a matter of fact, I had no idea what her face looked like but I knew her. You see, a little over a year ago when we visited my daughter Lizzie’s orphanage, I caught a glimpse of her, only a glimpse but she stole my heart. I saw her as she struggled to keep up. I saw her as she pushed her walker to help her sweet legs and feet that just would not cooperate.

I never saw her face but I saw her and I knew…

I knew I had to ask about her. So I asked my friend to ask the nannies about her. I learned that she had only just arrived and was still adjusting. I learned that her file was not prepared.

But now it is!!



My dear friend is amazing and I am certain never forgot… and now Samantha is ready and waiting for her forever family! Could that family be you?

When my precious friend sent me her picture I was blown away. It was the first time I had seen her beautiful face but somehow she was familiar.

My daughter, Lizzie, kept asking about her and I never thought we would ever know who she was but here we are a year and a half later and I am in awe of all the Lord has done. Please, please ask me about adoption. Please, please ask me about CP.

Please, please consider this precious child whose smile just melts my heart…



From Amy Hart at Small World Adoption: Samantha is 5 years old and is listed as having Cerebral Palsy. This little child is precious!! It is easy to see her sweet personality in her photos and the words in her file. She is compliant, she is a helper, she is doing well in school and within her foster family. It seems she can walk while holding onto something. Her potential is so, so great.

We are praying this ray of sunshine will soon be home with a forever family! For more information please contact Amy at amy@smallworladoption.com.

guest advocacy post by Annie Hamlin

Find My Family: Kevin

June 24, 2019 by nohandsbutours 0 Comments

Kevin is a wonderful little boy, born in October of 2011. He likes playing on the slide, riding the wooden horse on the playground, and playing tag and other games with the other children.



He has normal gross motor skills and is independent in his care- eating with a spoon, washing hands after meals, going to the bathroom, etc. Kevin is attending school – as of our last report, he had been in kindergarten. In the morning, he can brush his teeth, wash his face, eat breakfast, and pack his bag himself. Kevin has learned a lot at school. He can say the names of daily used objects, knows differences in size, understands opposites, can recognize simple shapes, and can count from 1 to 20. He is getting a lot of practice with drawing and coloring as well.

Kevin is an active participant in class and is praised by his teachers. Kevin’s caretakers describe him as a lovely boy who is talkative, friendly, bright, and happy! He almost always has a smile on his face! Kevin is good at following instructions and likes to help do some housework that he is capable of doing. He gets along well with others and participates in dancing, singing, and poetry activities.



Kevin was diagnosed as having a lymph-vessel tumor- lymphatic malformation in the right maxillofacial region and is a Hepatitis B carrier (3/5 positives). He had right facial lymph-vessel deformity image-guided percutaneous sclerosis under general anesthesia in December of 2013, May of 2014, August of 2014, April of 2015, and November of 2015. He recovered well after each surgery. In May of 2016, he had right facial, tongue lymph-vessel deformity image-guided percutaneous sclerosis.

May 2019 written update:

  1. How is his mental ability compared to peers of the same age?
    It is similar to other kids of the same age.
  2. How does the special need affect his health?
    He has a lymphatic malformation on the right maxillofacial and oral hemangioma (right tongue).
  3. Please describe his personality in details.
    He has a good personality. He is outgoing. In daily life, he talks a lot and expresses himself clearly. He likes singing, dancing, painting, and skipping ropes.
  4. Is he well behaved and obedient?
    Yes, he is.
  5. How are his gross motor skills? Can he walk, run, jump, and walk upstairs and downstairs by himself? Can he kick a ball? Can he pick up a ball? Any limited functions?
    Yes, he can do this without limited functions.
  6. How are his fine motor skills? Can he draw or scribble on paper? Can he pick up little things with his fingers?
    Yes, he can do this without limited functions.
  7. Is he in any kind of school? If so, what school? Can he catch up in school?
    He is studying at XX Elementary School, XX District, which is a public school. He is in grade one now. He was behind other kids of the same age at the beginning.
  8. How is his emotional development? Is the child attached to anyone? Who is he close to? Does he care for other people?
    Normal. He is not attached to anyone else in the orphanage. PXD is his closest friend. He knows to care for others.
  9. How are his social skills? Does he get along well with other children and adults?
    Good. He gets along well with others.
  10. Is he under foster care or living in the orphanage?
    He lives in the orphanage.
  11. Updated Measurements:
    Height: 123 cm; weight: 21 kg; head circ.:53 cm; Chest circ.: 59 cm; Foot length: 19.5 cm; Number of teeth: 21


Kevin is from a former Madison partnership orphanage. Everyone who has met and spent time with Kevin adores him and has nothing but good things to say about him, including our sweet friends at the Sparrow Fund.

Please help us spread the word about this sweet boy so that he will soon have a forever family of his own!

There is a $3,000 agency grant with Madison Adoption Associates for Kevin’s adoption. Other grants may be available based on the adoptive family’s circumstances. Agency grants are awarded as agency fee reductions. MAA also partners with the Brittany’s Hope Foundation for matching grants, which are given out twice a year and to families that already have their letter of approval from China.

Kevin needs a family with an approved home study to be able to hold his file or move forward with adopting him. If you have an approved home study or a home study in process and are interested in adopting Kevin, please fill out a free PAP Waiting Child Review Form, which can be found here.

Waiting for You: Leland

June 12, 2019 by nohandsbutours 0 Comments

Leland is a handsome little boy, born October 2011. Leland’s caretakers describe him as beautiful, smart, and adorable. They say that everyone likes him and that he is a great communicator, very fluent with his language abilities.

Leland can quickly grasp the content taught by the teacher in class, but gets nervous easily as he is very serious about his studies. He can count numbers and can do simple hand-craft and painting projects. He is a good eater and sleeper.



Leland has been through a lot without a family by his side. When he was three, he kept complaining that his inguinal tumors/cysts were hurting. He was taken to multiple hospitals and found that they were pushing against his bladder and he could not urinate. Leland was diagnosed as having congenital yolk sac tumor. He underwent many procedures and was given chemotherapy between February 2015 and December 2015. He enjoyed talking to the doctors and the nurses and was cheerful, despite all he had gone through. All of the nurses and doctors loved him.

Leland can sense when he needs to use the toilet most of the time and uses the rail to hold on while going. Sometimes he does not make it in time, so he wears diapers just in case. Leland is diagnosed as being paraplegic as well, but he does walk with assistance. Leland goes to the rehabilitation room daily to practice walking with a walker. He has weakness in his legs and his knees and ankles do not bend normally.

Leland had a hard time adjusting after leaving the hospital and going into the orphanage since he didn’t come into the care of the orphanage until right before he was hospitalized. He has since adjusted to life there. The staff say that he is very smart and is a fast learner. He gets along with his peers and enjoys playing with them. He will smile at acquaintances and be very polite. He is serious when meeting strangers, but warms up to new people quickly.

Leland is a wonderful little boy who has been through a lot. It is our hope that his forever family sees this treasure and brings him home soon!



LOTS of update videos of Leland, click on the links below to watch:

There is a $1,500 agency grant for Leland’s adoption with MAA. Other grants may be available based on the adoptive family’s circumstances. Agency grants are awarded as agency fee reductions. MAA also partners with the Brittany’s Hope Foundation for matching grants, which are given out twice a year (January and July) and to families that already matched with a child.

If you are interested in reviewing Leland’s file or in adopting Leland, please fill out a free PAP Waiting Child Review Form, which can be found here.

Aging Out Child: Hudson

June 2, 2019 by nohandsbutours 0 Comments

Hudson is a great kid who is all boy. Born in October of 2006, his special need is HIV (read more about parenting a child with HIV here). He spent about two years in the local orphanage, where he was taken care of by a blind couple who worked at the orphanage before being moved …Read More

Meet Miles!

May 26, 2019 by nohandsbutours 2 Comments

Miles is an adorable little guy, born in February of 2017. His caretakers describe him as cute and smiley. At one year of age, Miles could call “mom” or “grandmother” clearly. Sometimes he could speak a series of words loudly, but could not be heard clearly. He could also walk stably and liked putting on …Read More

Find My Family: Minnie

May 10, 2019 by nohandsbutours 4 Comments

Minnie is an adorable little girl, born in October of 2011, who is full of joy and determination. She has been diagnosed with spastic cerebral palsy, which has caused high muscular tension of her lower limbs. She also has an astigmatism. Minnie can walk on her tip toes with the support of a walker. She …Read More

Waiting to be Chosen: Journey

April 25, 2019 by nohandsbutours 0 Comments

Are you ready for the cuteness that is Journey? Journey, born in January of 2013 with Down syndrome and a congenital heart defect (PDA), is a beautiful little girl with a spectacular smile! Journey is not a picky eater and can feed herself, but won’t necessarily eat as much as she should so she does …Read More

Find My Family: Shaw

April 19, 2019 by nohandsbutours 1 Comments

Shaw is a precious little boy born in January of 2015 with Down syndrome and congenital heart defects – ASD and PFO. In June of 2016, he underwent surgery to repair his ASD. Shaw came into care at the approximate age of one. At that time, he could stand and walk against the rails, and …Read More

Waiting for You: Kennedy

April 11, 2019 by nohandsbutours 0 Comments

Kennedy is a beautiful and joyful little girl, born in September of 2012, who loves to wear dresses and skirts! One day after her foster mother bought her a new skirt, she stood in front of the mirror admiring herself and beamed happily when her foster mother said, “Kennedy is just like a fairy in …Read More

Meet Melody!

March 29, 2019 by nohandsbutours 0 Comments

Melody, born in January of 2013, is a little peanut who couldn’t be cuter! Melody knows the nanny who takes care of her and is very close to her. She is described as smiley, shy, and energetic. She recognizes the other children in her room and enjoys playing with them. Melody feeds herself with a …Read More

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