6 months old.
Abandoned.
Left to die alone in a hospital.
No one found him for nearly 10 hours.
This is the beginning of Sree Raj’s story. When his picture was put in the newspaper no one stepped forward to claim him. Due to his disabilities he was left by his family because they did not want him. Luckily he was able to be taken in by an orphanage that deals specifically with children with mental & physical disabilities.
Over crowded.
Laying on a shared bed.
Staring at a white ceiling.
Forgotten.
This is how I found Sree Raj when I got to India. I had been assigned to him to play with and work with for the month. He was one of the children that is usually overlooked in the overcrowded orphanage.
Mentally retarded.
Diseased.
Seizures.
Blind.
This is how Sree Raj was described to me. I was told that he was a little boy, 4 years old, who was mentally disabled, had a skin diseased, seized, & was blind. Needless to say I was a little worried about what I had just gotten myself into. Most of the time kids make me nervous & I had never worked with disabled children.
Reserved.
Distrustful.
Stubborn.
This was the little boy I met the first day. He did not interact with the other kids in his room. He was very weary of me; & he did not want to do anything unless it was his choice.
Joyful.
Hard working.
Life giving.
This is the child I left. Sree Raj has so much joy. He would spend all of our time together smiling & laughing. We would sneak away to go have “Bro Time” since he lived in a room full of girls. We would bounce, swing, dance, & sometimes just sit & enjoy being outside, even if it was over 100 degrees.
He is also one of the hardest workers. When I showed up at his orphanage, Sree Raj had trouble sitting on his own since he laid on his back all day. Over the course of the month, we got him sitting on his own regularly & standing occassionally on his own — as long as he had something to hold onto. It was incredible to be a part of such major process. He also started to progress in other areas, like speech, just from having someone regularly interact with him.
Sree Raj is so full of life & brings that life into other people’s lives. He was the highlight of my day every day & brought so much light into a very dark month. Sree Raj saved me in India. That was by far the hardest month on my race & this little boy saved it for me.
Hopeful.
Promised.
Cherished.
Chosen.
So yes, he is delayed in his development. But with someone regularly working with him I’m convinced he could significantly catch up. Yes, he does has a “disease”. He has a skin disease called Ichthyosis but as far as I could tell it just meant he had ashy skin. Which I found ironic because his American name is Asher. Yes, he might possibly have seizures. However, during my entire month there I never saw him have one, even during over stimulation. And yes, he might be blind. I don’t believe he is fully blind though. Occassionally he would be able to focus on something he was looking at, like my face. Although, most of the time he kept his eyes shut.
I met Sree Raj nearly 6 months ago & he still captures my heart today. My desire is to get his story out there & get him adopted by a loving family that will give him the time & attention he deserves. If you or someone you know might be interested in adopting this wonderful little boy please get in contact with me for more details.
