Boy From Baby House 10

I was very blessed earlier this year when I received this book Boy From Baby House 10 as a gift. It is the all-too-true tale of a bright little boy with cerebral palsy who was abandoned in Eastern Europe and placed in an orphanage some 20 years ago. Vanya lived in the midst of stark deprivation and neglect. He was completely cut off from the world outside the walls of that Baby House so it comes as no surprise that he was unable to identify pictures or answer questions presented by the panel of professionals who came to the orphanage to give him an official diagnosis. They labeled him a cretin and he was moved to an asylum for the mentally disabled where he was placed in a metal crib with a bare plastic mattress. It is an amazing story--so heart-rending in places and yet so triumphant. Eventually, the unthinkable happened: through the efforts of some amazing advocates, he was adopted by a couple in the United States.

I'd been bummed that I'd missed Dateline's coverage of Vanya's story earlier this month. BUT just last night Kevin and I viewed the whole show on-line at http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032600/#42535819 It was great! And I so enjoyed watching "the rest of the story."

Let's not forget that RIGHT NOW in 2011 there are still "Vanya's" sitting in stark deprivation and neglect. Maybe through our combined efforts, they too can find the love of a family.