As incredible as this seems, the heartbreaking fact is that in China it is not uncommon practice to place unwanted children in the hands of fate. This little baby boy was only eight days old. Who would care for him and allow him to grow up? Once housed at the orphanage in Nanjing , medical examinations showed his heart was not functioning properly. Born ‘not perfect' made him an outcast in society.

We remember how he fought for his life, until his heart gave up two months later. But his short life had a deeper meaning, because of him we wanted to make a difference.

During the more frequent visits to the orphanage the caretakers told us that there were ten more kids like him suffering from heart malfunctions living in the same orphanage. Heart conditions are not visible and if they hadn't told us we would have never found out. There is quite a lot of medical help for orphans with visible medical conditions, however there is no support for orphans with heart problems. Even though the People's Republic of China has constantly improved support and healthcare for abandoned children over the past few years, these children awaited medical treatment that went beyond the orphanage's budget.

We helped these children and many more to a better life. They had surgery and some were placed in foster families or even adopted. But there are more children in China who need help. We have expanded our help to other orphanages in other provinces and also to children who live in families that can't afford these heart operations.

If you would like to read more about the first days of Hopeful Hearts please click here to go to the diary.