On June 18, 2007, the same day that we were reviewing the new documents and photos from our adoption agency, this same little girl was suffering a tramatic experience in China, on the other side of the world. We knew nothing of these events, and even what we know now, is very sketchy and incomplete.
It hit me like a ton of bricks the first time I took ElleAnna to the bathroom in China - on November 19, 2007. The first time I saw her right leg bare, I started to cry. I tried to hide my emotions from her and called Ken to peek into the bathroom so that he could see without her knowing. They were fresh scars, healed, but still intensely purple. On her tiny leg, there was a long, four to five inch incision about mid-thigh. There were also five holes, some very deep and pitted. Two were in her hip, two were just above her knee, and one was towards the back of her leg, just behind the long scar. It was obvious that the injury was recent.
We asked our guide in province what had happened and he seemed very disinterested. We assured him that this injury did not change our wish to adopt PanSuo. He didn't understand why we were concerned or what was driving our need to know anything about the wounds. We tried to explain to him that we needed to know if she had any rods or screws in her leg. We explained that we'd have to get her the appropriate medical treatment at home if there were any ongoing concerns. He still didn't have any push to get answers for us. Basically, he asked the orphanage and was told that she was kicked by another child and her leg was broken. He claimed that there was nothing left inside her leg and that it was all healed. In his mind, that was all we needed to know. End of story as far as he was concerned. We, however, still had questions and didn't feel as if anyone was responding to them. We already loved ElleAnna, but knew we that our brief time in China would be our only chance at getting information about her injury.
It was not until we got to Guangzhou that we were given any specific information. Our guide there understood our concerns. She got records faxed to her from the orphanage and translated them for us. Basically, we learned that the injury happened on June 18, 2007. Elle was sitting on the ground and another child (an older boy who had some mental issues) kicked her in the leg. Elle did not complain about the injury until late that evening. She was taken to the hospital and it was discovered that her leg was broken. An external fixator was used and she hospitalized for several weeks.
The injury/scars were an ongoing problem as we worked to adopt her. It was not listed anywhere on her documents that our government or the CCAA had. It was a red flag that could have kept us from being able to bring her home. We had to assure the doctors in Guangzhou that it was not a problem for us and that we were comfortable with proceeding with the adoption. We prayed hard that the officials just let it go through and didn't raise it to the level that they could have. We were not to discuss it with anyone for fear that it would jeopordize the proceedings.
It certainly has not effected her ability to run or play. The first time we put her in shorts, however, she was fascinated with the scars - kept poking in them, scratching, etc. As we thought about it, we realized that she had probably never really had an opportunity to look or touch them. In China, children are dressed in layers and all skin is covered - regardless of the temperature or weather. Elle probably had not been able to explore the wounds before, until we came into her life. Even now, if you ask her about any owie she might have, she always has to show you her leg.
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Its amazing how on the same day, in the United States, we were excited about adopting her, but this poor little girl in China, was suffering and frightened. She was in a hospital, all alone..... and neither of us knew about the realities of the other....
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