Welcome to our Blessing Hands Blog

Thanks for visiting our website and learning about our charity that helps impoverished children stay in school.

Sunday, March 31, 2013

Update on Wei Senbao

Newsletter 
BLESSING HANDS
Wei Senbao
Wei Senbao
Wei Senbao is an Outpatient Patient now. 

I wanted to give you an update. Wei stayed two days in the hospital and then was able to take his medicine as an outpatient and be with his Mom in their rented room. He is now just waiting for the doctor to come back from the USA, so he can have his treatment. Mandy gave his Mom a cheap phone so she could keep in touch. 
Wei Senbao at No. 9 Hospital in Shanghai
Wei Senbao at No. 9 Hospital in Shanghai
  
KY Gives
 
We have a college volunteer, Jason Justice, who has helped us make a flier and newspaper article about the KY Gives Day. 
 
This is a state-wide event that takes place April 24th 2013. On April 24th, log on to www.kygives.org and search Blessing Hands. Click the link to give to Wei Senbao. 

Kentucky Gives Day is a collaboration of the Kentucky Nonprofit Network, Inc., participating nonprofits and corporate, foundation and media partners. The Kentucky Nonprofit Network, Inc. exists to serve, strengthen and advance the Commonwealth's nonprofit organizations. 
 
Wei is in need of an operation and Blessing Hands is asking for your help. All Kentucky Gives Day donations will be used to help give Wei the operation(s) and therapy that he needs.  For more on Wei Senbao and his story, please visit our website.

If you would be interested in joining the Blessing Hands fundraising team then please volunteer to be on our KY Gives Team
.
With your help we can make this Kentucky Gives Day event a success!  
 
Dr. Dai delivering school supplies
Dr. Dai delivering 
school supplies
           Ling Wang Kindergarten
                & Primary School  
 
The narrow road is new.
The narrow road is new.
   







We just got pictures of Dr. Dai giving school supplies to the 50+ students at Ling Wang School.  
Dr. Dai helps us get school supplies up to this one room kindergarten. He also checks on their health. Wei Senbao lives in this village. Until last year it was 2 hour hike to visit the school. Now they have a new road and the hospital van can travel to their door.               
 
The kids get workbooks and notebooks.
The kids get workbooks and notebooks.
The kids are eager to see what Dr. Dai has brought.
The kids are eager to see what Dr. Dai has brought.














All the kids get about 10 pencils.
All the kids get about 10 pencils
The kids got balls too.
The kids got balls too.
       

















They are of the Yao
 Minority and very remotely located in high mountains. About half of the students will board at the larger school and sleep in dorms with large amounts of students when they get old enough to go to 3rd, 4th, and 5th grades. Blessing Hands put cash jars in Chinese restaurants to get the cash to help these kids. Thank you for your donations in Morehead and Lexington. 
The one room school students line up for a picture.
The one room school students line up for a picture.
 
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Give $25 to Wei Senbao with this PayPal button,Donate or send a check to Blessing Hands, 106 Timber Lane, Morehead, KY 40351.
 

Sincerely,
 

Betty Cutts
Blessing Hands

Thursday, March 21, 2013

Wei Senbao has Pneumonia



Blessing Hands
News About Wei Senbao 
Quick Links

 
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Wei Senbao Has Pneumonia 
Wei and Mom after their appointment
Wei and His Mom After their Appointment

Wei Can't have his injection yet.
Wei is in the hospital for a week getting over pneumonia. He developed it just before he was to get his treatment to harden hislymphangioma (malformed vessels). He can't take the treatment now until April because his doctor has gone to the US and will not be back until April.
 
He and his mother will stay until he gets over the pneumonia and the doctor comes back. The hospital  stay is estimated to cost 6,000 yuan ($963) more. There will also be the added expense of room and board while waiting for the doctor to return. However, it is cheaper than them going home and coming back. 
 
Mandy had already gone home, but the volunteer from the Angel Mother charity is taking good care of Meng and Wei and helping them with the change in plans. 
 
We will try to keep you up to date as we know what develops. Please remember Wei and his Mom and their needs at this time. 
 
Sincerely, 
 
Betty Cutts, Blessing Hands Director
 
 Donate  Give $30 with Paypal.
 
Give any amount on our website
 
 


Update on Wei Senbao


Blessing Hands
Blessing Hands Newsletter
In This Issue
Update on Wei Senbao
Cost of Treatment
Wei's Mom
Kentucky Gives
Quick Links



Join Our List

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Featured Article
Wei Senbao and his Mom standing in line for treatment.
Wei Senbao and his Mom standing in line for treatment
Wei Senbao 
and his family 
need your help. 

Updated News on Wei Senbao
   
 his MWei and his Mom at  No. 9  Hospital
Wei and his Mom at No. 9 Hospital

Wei will first undergo a sclerosing treatment, an injection to harden his  lymphangioma (malformed vessels).
 
Five-year-old Wei has a cystic lymphangioma, a mass formed before birth. It is a congenital malformation or hamartoma on 
the borderline between malformed lesions and a tumor
 
They will use general anesthesia for the treatment. Then they will send him home for 3 
months until June. They want the malformation to harden, so they can operate on him. I am glad he will not miss much more of kindergarten. School is important for him and his mother. 

When he returns to Shanghai, they will operate and remove the lymphangioma. Later it will require at least one more operation, so it will be a long drawn out treatment. He may have to come to Shanghai two or more times. 
Cost of Treatment
Wei and Mom at No. 9 Hospital In Shanghai
Wei and Mom at No. 9 Hospital In Shanghai

The operations will cost at least 40,000 ($6,420) and maybe 50,000 ($8,026) Yuan for the 2 operations. 


Mandy was required to put down 4,000 yuan ($642) as a deposit on Wei's first sclerosing treatment. He will travel home by train and wait until the 1st operation. Then there will be a second operation in the future. One operation will cost between 20,000 ($3,210) to 25,000 ($4,012) yuan. The two operations may require a total of 40,000 ($6,420) to 50,000 yuan ($8,026 USD). This does not include the travel and lodging for them. 

Now that Mandy knows the prognosis, time and expense required, she will fly home and await their return. The volunteer with Angel Mother Charity will look after Wei and his mom until they leave on the train later. A friend of Mandy's has bought clothes for them and paid two nights on Mandy's hotel bill. This friend has also spread the news about Wei and his plight to see if others will help him. 
Wei and his Mom in the hospital hallway
Wei and his Mom in
 the hospital hallway

So far the expenses of travel, tests, room and board, and down payment has come to $1,655 (10,308 Yuan).The Angel Mother volunteer told Mandy that right now there are so many poor children, who need help who don't have Blessing Hands' help, that their charity won't donate any money for 
Wei now, although she is helping with taking them places and giving advice. We really appreciate all of the people who are helping Wei. 
 
Since the last newsletter, his fund has grown to $7,062. Take away the expenses up to now, and we have  $5,407 left.  He will have travel expenses at least two more times and other expenses we might not know about now. 
 
Please help us get his fund up to at least $10,000 for now. You can give at this link on the Blessing Hands Website or send a check for Wei to Blessing Hands, 106 Timber Lane, Morehead, KY, 40351.
 
 If you want to give on the Chinese website of "A Life at a Time" the link is here.   
 
Donate You can give $50 by Paypal here.  
Wei's Mom
Wei's Mom is devoted to him.
Wei's Mom is devoted to him.

Meng Qiuya 蒙 秋 亚 Supports 7 people


Perhaps you noticed in the pictures how tired and weak Wei's mother looks. As Mandy got to know her better, she learned that Meng supports a large family, including her elderly mother-in-law, and four children of Meng's husband's brothers who have died. The mothers of the children left after their husbands died. Meng's husband was the youngest and disappeared after going out to work when Wei was a baby. 

Meng can't give blood for Wei because she is anemic from not enough iron in her diet. She is a simple farmer with no other relatives to help with the burden of the family's support. As soon as I heard this, I asked Mandy about the other children. It seems that one is a junior 2 student and the other 3 are in 5th and 6th grades at Liushan Primary School. 

We want to take these other children to support. If any of you would like to sponsor this family or Wei's nutrition, let me know at this email address or give with the buttons below. Wei is already supported at $35 a semester  for school supplies by the Lexington Chinese Christian Church's youth group.
 
Donate $50 a month for a family member's nutrition and health.
 
Donate $50 a month for Wei's nutrition and health. 
 
Donate $50 a month for Meng Qiuya's nutrition and health 
 
Donate $35 a semester to sponsor school supplies for a primary child in this family 
 
Donate $75 a semester to sponsor school lunches for a middle school child in this family. 
Kentucky Gives
Wei took the subway for the first time.
Wei took the subway for the first time.
 

Blessing Hands is Participating in the Special Giving Day Called  
Kentucky Gives.    

"Ky charitable nonprofits have been encouraged to participate in a statewide day of online giving. 
Kentucky Gives Day begins at midnight EST on April 24 and continues until 11:59 pm EST. Kentuckians will go online to kygives.org, connect with causes they care about and make tax-deductible donations to support the important work of Kentucky charities".
 
Supporters will search for participating nonprofits and simply click to donate.  We ask you to pick Blessing Hands from the list and support our projects like Wei Senbao's medical care. We are right there at the top with the "B's". There is another great Morehead charity there - People's Clinic, which serves uninsured working people. 
 
We have a Blessing Hands team you can join to promote KY Gives for our students on Facebook, Skype, Google+ and other social media sites. Join our team at this site. We need to advertise the Kentucky Gives Day and not forget to come and donate on the site on the zero day! Our goal is $5,000, but if we go way over that we can add many more students to help. It is simple just spread the word to your internet friends and family. 


Blessing Hands is a 501(c)(3) public charity, and 
Betty Cutts, Director
Betty Cutts, Director
your gift is tax deductible in the USA. We have helped over 1,000 students in the last seven years. 

Join us in giving to kids who will
help themselves and others. 

Sincerely,

Betty Cutts
Blessing Hands

Send checks to Blessing Hands, 106 Timber Lane, Morehead, KY 40351 

Thursday, March 07, 2013

Success as a Charity


Blessing Hands logo
Blessing Hands Newsletter
In This Issue
Give to Medical Fund
Wei Senbao Report
Sponsor a Student
Quick Links
Join Our List

Join Our Mailing List

Featured Article
Give Here for Wei Senbao's Medical Care.
Wei Senbao and his mom with Mandy Ma
Wei Senbao and His Mom with Mandy Ma.



Blessing Hands is excited by two recent events. We feel that we are fulfilling our purpose as a charity.
First, Wei Senbao is on his way to treatment in Shanghai. You can give to him here.
Second, one of our former Blessing Hands students has offered to sponsor a high school student himself. 

Wei Senbao'sTreatment

Treatment has Started 
Wei and his Mom
Wei and his mother came to Nanning in the hospital's van that we helped buy. 
Wei Senbao韦森宝 is inShanghai. He and his mother and Mandy Ma took the train for the long ride on March 5th. Wei's mother will stay in a $8 place near the hospital where other relatives of patients stay. 

We have raised. $6,462 USD (40,258 Yuan) so far. That is enough for travel, food, initial tests, and a place for them to stay near the hospital. We have spent $336 USD (2092 yuan) so far to get them to Shanghai.

Wei is also being featured on the website of "A Life at a Time" Charity. This is the link. It is a Chinese charity's website that helps children with medical problems. He is featured only in the Chinese version, but you can translate the page with Google translate. They are raising money for him too.  You can also give at our website  link.

Mandy will be saving receipts to document every expense.  Wei has a right to partial repayment of his expenses for medical treatment because of the insurance paid by rural farmers. Insurance is great to have, but sometimes it can be a problem to receive even in Western Countries. He could be reimbursed up to 60%.
Eating fruit on the train
Eating fruit on the train

Mandy Ma 马榕蔓 on the left is escorting Wei Senbao and his Mom to Shanghai. 

The Chinese medical system lets patients be responsible for their own medical records. There are no appointment times for patients. Patients just show up and wait to see the doctor. They asked us to send a family member with Wei in case he needs a blood transfusion from a relative.

We have made some advanced contacts with the hospital, but until he starts tests, we will not know the expenses, which have to be paid in advance.   

Please keep his treatment in mind and remember Wei and his Mom need help. You can give $50 below with Paypal. 

Donate   

Wei Senbao at the hospital in Shanghai
Wei Senbao at the hospital in Shanghai


Recent news: 

Mandy sent this picture of Wei waiting in the hospital for Ms. Ye, the volunteer from the charity called Angel Mothers. Mr. Wang, a friend of Mandy Ma, met them at the train station and also gave Wei the bag over his shoulder. Everyone is touched by Wei Senbao's need.
They have already given him a MRI and Mandy will get the results soon, but  Dr. Fan can't see him until next Wednesday since they only operate on Wednesdays and Thursdays. We don't know yet who will be in charge of his treatment and do the actual operation. 

 Mandy has spent 14 yuan (clinic visit fee) + 560 yuan (MRI) = 574 yuan ($92.13 USD) for him so far. Mandy's hotel is costing $25 a night. She is paying for her own food, but we will cover her hotel and return airfare. 

James Li 李振明  Becomes a Blessing Hand
James Li and Betty Cutts
Li Zhenming (James) and Betty Cutts in Hong Kong

Blessing Hands Graduate Wants to Support a High School Student


I was so touched when one of our students, Li Zhenming, who has graduated and found a good job in Shenzhen, wrote to ask if he could sponsor a high school student as he once was sponsored. 

We always hear from our students that they are very grateful for our help, and they will help others when they are able. Now one of our student who has a good job and is two years out of college has contacted us to sponsor another student. We hope others will prosper enough to help others.
Our motto is "Helping people help themselves and others". Now we see one becoming a blessing hand to spread the love. Our scholarships are not loans to be repaid, but we hope the first crop of students will reach back to help those behind them. Wouldn't that be great!  It feels so good to get the concept of "giving is a pleasure" into our charity's roots. 

Amy's Volunteer Service
Huang Tianyan (Amy)
黄天燕 Huang Tianyan (Amy)

Others Give Time Instead of Money


We ask our college scholarship students to give three hours of volunteer service a semester. They have done everything from visiting old folks and cleaning streets to tutoring primary kids. They are making themselves blessing hands to others. Huang Tianyan told about her volunteer work recently. 

Last semester, I met two lovely girls my sister's age when I took a part-time job. They were children who wanted to learn, so I told them to go to my school on the weekend, so I could teach them for free. They told their friends to come with them, so I had seven girls in my own class every weekend. I had to wake up earlier than others to teach, but I felt happy because these girls were enjoying my classes, and we really had a good time with each other.
Huang Tianyan
Blessing Hands is an American 501(c)(3) public charity that helps children with school aid and tuition. Your gifts are fully tax deductible in the USA. We are seven years old now and producing blessings to many people who pass them on. 

You too can give at this link for any project such as Wei Senbao's care, tuitions for students, water purifiers for schools, and libraries for primary schools. 
Sincerely,

Betty Cutts
Blessing Hands

Contact us at this mailing address:
Blessing Hands
106 Timber Lane
Morehead, KY 40351

Mail us at this link.