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People DECEMBER 16, 2009
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C A L E N DA R 2 8 | C L A S S I F I E D S 2 9 | R E A L E S TAT E 3 3
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at Chinese orphanage
Katie Blankenberg lives in Portola Valley and is a sophomore at Sacred Heart Prep in Atherton.
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n 2005, I wrote an article entitled “Katie’s children with cerebral palsy. friend has a new sister — from China.” Especially heart-breaking to Tess, Kaidi and The year before, my friend Tess Ms. Miller were the children without legs, Miller traveled with her family to China to arms, eyes and ears. adopt a little girl named Kaidi. At the time, “There was a point when it hit me that these Kaidi spoke no English and the Miller family kids just come to Philip Hayden and that is (mom Lisa, dad Mike and children Liam and how they spend their whole lives,” Tess says. Tess) spoke only a few words of Mandarin. “I was with the clinic kids (children who are When I interviewed Tess in 2005, she told severely ill) and I heard a girl gasping. I turned me the family planned to take Kaidi back to around and saw a girl who was blue from head visit her orphanage in to toe,” Tess says. China some time in “She couldn’t even the future. walk to me because In August of this year her heart couldn’t There was a point that plan was fulfilled. handle it. She was Tess (now a sophomore only 6 years old. when it hit me that at St. Francis High “I realized that School), Kaidi (now 10 nobody wants to these kids just come and in the fifth grade), adopt these kids and their mother, Lisa because they can’t do to (the orphanage) and Miller, flew to Beijing, things that normal China, and to the nearkids do.” by Langfang Children’s Ms. Miller, a nurse that is how they spend Village, the orphanage practitioner and an where 4-year-old Kaidi author on women’s their whole lives. lived when the Millers health, had a hard TESS MILLER adopted her. time seeing children The orphanage is with deformities, operated by the Philip such as a cleft lip, that Hayden Foundation, created by an American could easily be fixed in the United States. family in 1995. It depends on donations and Tess told me something that really disvolunteer medical staff. Most of the orphans turbed me: many of the babies dropped off are high-risk children with disabilities. at the orphanage still have their umbilical Even though Kaidi was not high-risk or cords attached. had any disabilities, she was able to stay at Many in China do not have the money to the orphanage because the nannies there support a child. In addition, many parents did not want to separate her from the other are forced to give up their children because of three girls who came with her. China’s “one child policy.” During their stay at the orphanage this I asked Kaidi what it felt like to return to year, Tess, Kaidi and Ms. Miller became her village in China. “I am so thankful for my involved in the lives of the children, includSee , , page 27 ing helping with stimulation exercises for
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Photos by Lisa Miller
Above: Kaidi Miller, (center), who was adopted from an orphanage in China in 2004 by the Miller family of Menlo Park, visits the orphanage this year. Far left: Tess Miller of Menlo Park (second from right) with nannies and orphans at the Langfang Children’s Village orphanage near Beijing. Near left: Kaidi Miller, 10, with a little girl from the orphanage.
December 16, 2009 N The Almanac N 25