MaoXian — Our Little Hero
Half the Sky’s Infant Nurture Program began at MaoXian’s orphanage when she was 19 months old. Suffering from kidney cancer, MiaXian endured not only the lack of nurturing care, but also became more and more ill while she waited for treatment. It is not surprising that her HTS nanny wrote in the early reports, “When I call her name, she may glance at me, but she has no expression. She is not interested in toys or in anything else.” Over the next months, MaoXian and her HTS nanny began to form a special bond. Despite a growing tumor that distended her chest and back, with great effort, MaoXian learned to stand. With her nanny’s encouragement, she began to speak a few words. But shortly after her second birthday, MaoXian began to deteriorate rapidly. She remained in bed. Her nanny, powerless to get her the medical attention she needed, sat by her bedside daily. “I always talk and sing to her,” she said. “I want to encourage her and ease her pain, both physically and mentally.
At last MaoXian was sent for surgery, followed by chemotherapy. To her nanny’s joy, her recovery has been steady. She began to walk and to speak in sentences. Her nanny made sure she had a specially nutritious diet and invented exercises to 
help her build her strength. By the time she was 2.5, she was strong enough to, with her nanny’s help, transition into the Little Sisters Preschool.
In preschool for a year now, MaoXian has learned to dance and ride a bicycle. Her teacher says she is a born performer.
“During the Spring Festival, we rehearsed a music play, ‘The Adventure in the Forest’, in which MaoXian played a little girl who fights with the devil and finally saves the princess. On the day of performance, MaoXian’s nose bled. After we stopped the bleeding, MaoXian persisted. She played her role to the end. I held up my thumb and smiled to tell her how brave I thought she was. She smiled at me in great joy.”
“We are so happy to see how well MaoXian feels and what a strong girl she has become. She is our little hero”