Caleb Needs a Storyteller for Christmas…
Caleb is a brave and smiley boy who is about to turn 11 at the end of December. Caleb was born with cerebral palsy and had surgery at 7 years old to lengthen his Achilles tendons. Since then, he has made huge strides in his rehabilitation training.
Prior to his surgery, at age 3, he could walk, but had an abnormal gait. He loved to play with other children and toys. He was also beginning to develop a vocabulary at this time. At 4 years old, he started rehabilitation therapy for very tight achilles tendons (he was walking on his tip toes due to this tension). He began to be able to stand on his own and take a few steps without help. He enjoyed playing games with others in the orphanage and got along well with them. At 6 years old, he could go up and down stairs and could pick himself up if he fell. He could walk almost regularly at this time, but still had an abnormal gait. He was learning to speak Mandarin and Chaoshan and could count and have conversations—his referral notes that he is very talkative. He especially loved singing a song called Little White Rabbit.
After his surgery at 7 years old, he could walk very well holding heavy objects, shower alone, and put on his own clothes. He has a best friend in the orphanage and enjoyed playing with him. Now, he can walk, jump, run and, if he falls, he picks himself right back up. He is very well-behaved, can listen to the teacher’s instructions, loved taking pictures, and is a happy child. Caleb has many videos of him playing, singing, dancing, and interacting with caretakers and these are available to any family reviewing his file.
An AWAA ACT mission team visited Caleb at his orphanage in November 2014. The team got to spend a lot of time with him and have noted that he is very outgoing, super sweet, helpful, has a leader personality, looks out for the younger kids, and loves to sing and perform (He sang 2 solo's for the team while they were there). He does limp but can run, jump, and play with the other kids.
Caleb is from one of our orphanage partnerships in China and his file is designated by the CCCWA as a special focus file. A family at any stage in the process is eligible to review his file.
To view Caleb's online profile or to view other waiting children like Caleb, visit our Waiting Children page. Interested families can fill out a free PRE-APPLICATION or APPLY TO ADOPT HERE.