Doctors Said He Wouldn’t Live Until Three

Minuo could hardly wait to meet her baby brother.

Her mother recalls, “She would touch my stomach and say to her brother, 'Come out quickly, come out and play with me.’  And when I played music, it was like my baby boy was moving to the rhythm and having a little party in my womb.”

Then a couple months before Mrs. Xiao’s due date, she and her husband found out that their baby would be born with congenital heart disease and decided to name him Yizhou.

“Yizhou means smooth sailing and symbolizes peace and tranquility,” Mrs. Xiao explains.  “That’s what we wanted for him.”

Yet, Yizhou’s heart ended up being worse than they’d expected.

“The membrane between his ventricle and atrium was completely missing, and there were many holes in his heart,” Mrs. Xiao says.  “The doctor said without surgery, he’d only live to be two or three years old.”

Mr. Xiao adds, “I couldn’t accept this news.  I was so afraid of losing Yizhou.  I had to find a way to get him surgery, so I worked day and night to save money.”

Mr. Xiao’s job was out of town, so Mrs. Xiao raised their son alone.  

She remembers, “He often caught colds and had fevers.  His resistance was very bad.   He had poor circulation, so his body didn’t develop right.  I was worried people would tease him and call him a monster.”

As the holes in Yizhous heart got bigger, he struggled to breathe.  Mrs. Xiao got some odd jobs to try to help pay for treatments and infusions, yet she and her husband could never save enough for surgery.  And as time went on, he got worse.

Mrs. Xiao shares, “He panted heavily.  When he cried, his lips turned purple, and his face turned red. He looked so uncomfortable, like there was something haunting his body.”

Minuo says, “When my baby brother was in pain, I felt pain, and when he cried, I cried, too.”

“Sometimes I couldn’t hold back my tears,” adds Mrs. Xiao.  “And Yizhou would gently touch my face, like he was cheering me on.”

The Xiaos had no idea how they’d keep Yizhou alive.  Then, a doctor told them about Operation Blessing, and you helped make surgery possible for Yizhou.

“Now, Yizhou’s circulation has improved, his heart is working well. And his body looks normal,” exclaims Mrs. Xiao.

“I’m so grateful for Operation Blessing’s help,” Mr. Xiao shares.  “And you didn’t just help pay for surgery, your unconditional love also brought us an understanding of Jesus.”

“I’d never heard of the Christian faith before. Now having faith in Jesus is an important part of our lives,” declares Mrs. Xiao.  She concludes, “Without you, I really don’t know what we would have done.  You saved our son and gave him a new life.”

What a beautiful example of how CBN partners share the love of Jesus around the world with people in need! If you’re not yet a partner, we invite you to join us today. Help bring God’s love through initiatives like clean water wells, medical missions, feeding programs, and so much more—all in the name of Jesus! Join us today and become a part of what God’s doing through CBN partners.