Our final stop was Haikou, the capital city of Hainan in Southern China. This place is very near and dear to our family since this is where Audrey spent the first two years of her life (as far as we know). We haven’t been back in over ten years. She was cared for at the Haikou Social Welfare Institute, a very clean, airy, and spacious institution. It was an emotional reunion for Audrey, although she doesn’t have any conscious memories of her time there. Many of her caregivers are still there, and they were so happy to see Audrey looking strong and healthy.
Audrey had severe rickets when she came to live with us, her little bird legs were bowed and over the course of the years she has suffered a few broken bones. A combo of sports (most gymnastics), eating well, and vitamins have helped her bones become stronger! Rickets is unfortunately very common among Chinese orphans, so I took that as motivation to bring something useful with me on this trip. The company I work for has access to very high quality supplements, and after some research on what would be the one most beneficial supplement for these babies and kids, I decided on Emulsi-D from Designs for Health. Vitamin D deficiency is a major cause of rickets and brittle bones. The base is olive oil, a healthy fat that is necessary for the absorption of Vitamin D. From observation, I don’t think these kids have very much fat in their diet, so getting even a small amount from olive oil would be beneficial. I remember little Audrey was OBSESSED with butter! She would suck on those little packages of butter that you find on planes and in restaurants. It is amazing how intuitive little kids are when it comes to what their bodies need from food. 
The head of medical staff at the orphanage. I felt so grateful that she took the time to meet with me. She of course wanted to examine the vitamins, to make sure they were safe to use for the kids. She told me that they receive multivitamins from the government, but the additional vitamin D would no doubt help improve their health.
With help from Designs for Health, Cambiati Wellness, and our wonderful BNI networking groups, we were able to raise money for 103 bottles of Vitamin D!! I lugged this suitcase with me halfway around the globe and all around Southern China, I am so happy that not one bottle broke 
The kids were so sweet, and seemed to really enjoy hanging out with us. It was touching to see how well they are cared for. Our cousins had their own special moment earlier in the trip, in the city of Changsha, when they visited the site where my cousin Olivia was dropped off to safety as a baby. Audrey and Olivia share a unique bond, they are so close in age and share a common past. Fate, the universe, divine intervention, whatever you call it, brought these amazing young ladies into my family, and I cannot imagine my life without them!
A gift from the kids, Mum and Dad plan to hang it proudly on their front door (right?!)
