Lionel | Age 8 | Shared List
Updated: Feb 1, 2021
Sweet Lionel is 8 years old and was born in February 2013. Lionel, which means Little Lion, wears his name well. He is a strong and courageous fighter, and is a little miracle. Lionel was born with a heart issue (TOF) and has Down Syndrome. He had surgery to repair his Tetralogy of Fallot when he was 10 months old, and has recovered well!
Photos taken at the ICC Christmas party, December 2015
Lionel is a miracle because when he was found he had severe pneumonia in addition to his heart issue and was dying! Many had given up hope, but he recovered miraculously! After he gained strength and recovered from pneumonia, he received heart surgery in Beijing.
This little fighter recovered well from open heart surgery, and had a rosy face and would sleep well after eating. He would play with his fingers when he woke up. His caregivers "liked him very much and took good care of him!" He is the joy of the caretaker!!!
From his file, it says Lionel loves the playful interaction of his caregivers, and loves to be tickled and held up. He likes listening to music and dances with the music. Today Lionel is a cute, active boy who likes to crawl towards colorful toys, and loves the noises from rattles and bells. During therapy time, he still loves to be tickled and to play on the therapy ball. He gets really excited and is quite vocal!
Because of his rough start to life, little Lionel is delayed but is making strides to catch up! He does not use any words yet but expresses his likes and dislikes through cries and vocalizations. He knows his name and plays briefly with toys. He can independently roll over, use his arms to prop up and commando crawl! He is working on gaining core strength in therapy, and is prop sitting when he is back in his room with his caregivers and other ICC siblings. Currently he has low muscle tone, but with growth and therapy he may get stronger. He uses his hands well in play, and can manipulate a simple toy or block with both hands.
This little miracle needs a family who will dote on him and help him catch up and reach his fullest potential! We have seen that God was with Lionel from the start, watching over him and healing him when it looked doubtful he would make it! Thank you Lord for your steadfast love and protection over little Lionel. Lionel's name and scripture come from Psalms 26:3 ESV "For your steadfast love is before my eyes, and I walk in your faithfulness." We wait with excitement and anticipation to find out who will step out in faithfulness and call this miracle their son! Lionel is waiting on the shared list. Please contact Erin Schmidt, ICC Adoptive Families Coordinator at erin.schmidt@chinaconcern.org to receive his identifying information if you wish to have your agency pursue his file. In addition, we have an ICC development assessment and a Little Hearts Medical Cardiologist review of his file that we can share with interested families.
October 2015 - Lionel Out Takes
He is so cute!!!