The Safest Place in the World

When one-month-old DongLi came from the JiuJiang Welfare Institution to the China Care Home, she was immediately taken to the hospital for lifesaving surgery.

DongLi did not go to the hospital alone–she was accompanied by her nanny, who watched over her during her entire stay in the hospital.

After her succesful surgery to repair congental anal atresia, DongLi stayed in the hospital for 20 days and then came back to the China Care Home to recuperate. During DongLi’s five months recuperating at the China Care Home all the nannies grew to love her. Even nannies who work in other rooms would drop by to see her or play with her for a while. DongLi always smiled no matter who played with her or who called her name.  Some of DongLi’s post-operative medical care was painful, but she was very cooperative and didn’t move or cry loudly when the nurse checked her wound. It seemed she knew it was good for her.

DongLi’s favorite activity was interacting with her nanny. When her nanny put a towel on her head to cover her face, she would pull it off and giggle. She liked sitting on her nanny’s lap or cuddling in her nanny’s arms. Whenever DongLi felt unhappy, the best way to stop her from crying was for her nanny to hold her in arms because she believed it was the safest place in the world.