Big Sister's Prayer

YiNuo was thrilled to hear she was going to have a baby brother!

She explains, “I love dolls and thought my brother would be like a real-life living doll. He was like my little baby, like an angel.”

But shortly after he was born, doctors said he had an abnormal heart murmur and a hole in his heart.

“He had to sleep on his side or he couldn’t breathe,” Mrs. Ma sadly recalls.

Mr. Ma adds, “When he cried, his face turned blue and purple. The doctor said he needed surgery, or he could die, maybe by 3 months or by 6 months old.”

So, Mr. Ma named the boy Ma YiKou.

“The name means he must live,” he reveals. “So, I held him and told him, ‘You must be strong. Daddy will find a way to cure your sickness.’”

“But we didn't even have enough money for food and drinks, so it would take over 10 years to save for surgery,” confesses Mr. Ma.

Meanwhile, YiKou’s started having heart attacks, and he got pneumonia.  All the while, YiNou was right there, by his side.

She admits, “I got scared when he didn’t laugh and he couldn’t talk.  I touched his face and little hand and wanted him to be better.”

Mr. and Mrs. Ma worried that he didn’t have much time left.

“Once, he didn’t move all day and night.  He didn’t cry and he didn’t eat or drink anything. I was very afraid we were going to lose him.” Mr. Ma shares.

Mrs. Ma says, “All I could do was look to the heavens and ask for help.”

Then the civil affairs bureau told the Ma’s about CBN, and we quickly funded YiKuos heart surgery.

“My son is now a very healthy child,” exclaims Mr. Ma.   “He’s very lively. We know CBN really cares about us. You changed the fate of my son and gave him a second chance on life.”

YiNou smiles and says, “YiKou is my favorite doll! We play together and laugh all the time.”

Mrs. Ma concludes, “Thank you to all the donors at CBN who brought light into our dark world. Now YiKou really can ‘live strong!’”