Where there is hope, there is a way.
An orphaned Chinese girl deemed 'unadoptable' may soon have a plane ticket to Saskatchewan and a family to call her own.
The two-year-old girl, who was born with Down Syndrome and abandoned at birth, was discovered in a Chinese orphanage in 2011. Christalee Froese - from Montmartre - and her mother Rosemarie Douan were visiting the orphanage when they learned that the little girl was not on any adoption list.
"We asked if we could take her home and the reply was something like, 'no one would want her,'" says Froese, who was visiting the orphanage in China to pick up her own one-year-old adopted Chinese daughter.
Upon returning to Canada, Froese says she continued to think about the orphan who would not be getting a mom or a dad.
"It physically made me sick to my stomach to think of that poor baby, but I didn't know how I could possibly help."
Two years later, Froese was watching the Ironman World Championships, televised from Kona, Hawaii, when she saw participant Brady Murray running for his organization, Racing for Orphans with Down Syndrome (RODS).
"A light bulb went on as soon as I saw Brady Murray interviewed and he said that his organization helps find families for orphans with Down Syndrome."
USA tri-athlete Brady Murray, who has a biological child with Down Syndrome, had already raised over $200,000 to fund adoptions and had found homes for nine Down Syndrome children.
"I took a shot in the dark and just sent an email on a general form I found on the RODS website. It said something like, 'I know a Down Syndrome orphan, can you help?"
What happened after that is being called a miracle. Brady Murray himself replied to Froese immediately asking for details about the baby. All Froese had was a photo she had taken on her visit. She didn't have any other details about the child. In fact, she had assumed the baby was a boy because it was dressed in blue and its head was shaved the day she visited the Chinese orphanage.
Since that initial email in October of 2013, Murray, Froese and RODS have been working together to get the baby listed for adoption. They are also seeking a family and working on raising the $15,000 to $30,000 that it takes for international adoption.
"As a parent of a child with Down Syndrome I know first hand what a blessing it is to have a child who has Down Syndrome," says Murray.
Murray and his wife Andrea have been working tirelessly with Froese to figure out how to get the baby, Mei Chen listed for adoption.
"This has actually been very different than any other child we have helped. The difference with Mei Chen is that she wasn't available for adoption when we chose her as our RODS Orphan," adds Murray.
In just three weeks, Saskatchewan residents have come together to donate $3,580 towards Mei Chen's adoption. Some of this money has been used to complete Mei Chen's Chinese paper work and help get her into the adoption system. Mei is expected to officially be listed for adoption this March, 2014.
RODS has runners and tri-athletes from around the world who are also raising money for Mei Chen right now. You are invited to join the RODS team by racing in one race this year and raising $1,000 towards the RODS cause.
You can also purchase a Saskatchewan-made RODS Hero Heart necklace online - $20 from every purchase goes directly to Mei Chen's adoption costs.
"Whether that is a donation of time, money or both, this support IS the way that these children are saved!"
For more information, visit rodsracing.org
