Bring Some Heart

"Is there anything we need to bring with us?" asked Haley.
"Heart."

Karn's reply to the question couldn't have been more perfect for our first clinical experience in Thailand. Ban Fung Fa Orphanage is specifically for those children with special needs, and many have been abandoned by their families who could no longer take care of them. The orphanage is extremely clean and well kept, and provides many physical and occupational therapies for the children. However, there are so many children and not enough employees/volunteers to give each one the individual attention they need to grow and develop.

Walking into the crowded non-air conditioned room was at first quite a shock. 55 children with Cerebral Palsy lay motionless in rows on small "beds" on the floor. There were so many kids, and so few of us I wondered how each one was going to be able to participate in the session.

Immediately as I sat down next to a young boy he stared at me, and his eyes met perfectly with mine. He reached out his hand and grabbed mine, and never let go.

I have never seen more beautiful smiles than the ones that were on the kids' faces as we sang Thai children songs. They were all able to participate in the music activities with the help of us students. The session was a huge success, all the kids were happy and smiling. Just enjoying the attention and the love that they were receiving from people who care. One boy next to me was even bouncing up and down and flailing his arms in excitement to play a paddle drum. It is sad to know that this kind of event does not happen for them often. Not very often is someone sitting with them for an hour, holding their hand, looking into their eyes and singing to them. It's no wonder they were so completely engaged in the moment.

After the session was over, and we had to say goodbye, the young boy still wouldn't let go of my hand. It took a while to muster up the strength to force my hand away. We all shuffled out of the room, waving at the kids, while the caregivers thanked us repeatedly. They noticed a difference too. I try not to thing about whether or not the kids are smiling now that we are no longer there, singing to them.

It was like hitting a wall after leaving. There, in that room, we were so happy and alive because THEY were happy and alive. Their circumstance might not be ideal, but that doesn't mean they shouldn't be able to smile and laugh. And without seeing those smiles, there was nothing. Nothing but the realization of what it was we had just seen beyond the happiness in their eyes. The realization that places like this exist in the world. The realization that we wouldn't always be there to make them laugh and enjoy something. That was the painful part: leaving.

I brought my heart, and left it at Ban Fung Fa.