And so the adventure begins!

Well after months of preparation, planning and fundraising, I am happy to report to all of you that I am in China! Yes, that's right! We arrived on June 23rd after a looooooooooong flight to Shanghai and then a transfer to Qingdao. The flights were good, relatively comfortable, and both my sister and I slept most of the way. My parents were very happy about that! The food was even decent, and I got special meals with lots of fruit, meat and veggies that I could eat! When we were in Shanghai waiting for our connection we met another family traveling from Louisiana to the hospital in Qingdao as well for stem cell treatments. They are really nice and their room is just down the hall from us. There are lots of families here from all over....Australia, England, the US and even from the United Arab Emirates. Everyone talks a lot and helps each other out! We're like a giant family...all here with the hope of improving our lives....I'm the only one with Cerebral Palsy....lots of people are here with degenerative diseases and eye problems but no matter what the reason, we all have the common goal of getting better to some degree.

My dad and I can't seem to adjust to the time schedule here, so we sleep most of the time and then get up at like 2 in the morning! My mom and Soraya have adapted better, but we are all still out of synch! We are 12 hours ahead of home and so our sleep patterns and eating patterns are backwards! Yesterday the doctor, Dr. Tony, and the PT, Owen, evaluated me for treatment. They have decided that the first treatment will be this Friday, June 26 and therapy will start today, June 25th. I will get PT, OT and acupuncture 5 days a week. The first treatment will be by IV and the rest, if I do ok will be spinal treatments. My mom is thinking about adding a 6th treatment for an extra $3500 if they can fit it in and I respond well....the more I get, the better my chances for improvement. Some people here are getting 9 treatments! They've been here forever and still have a long way ago. My mom has spent a lot of time talking with the other families and making plans to get out a bit and see the country. I still don't have my schedule for the whole time here, but they told my parents that I will get 5 days of therapy, 1-2 treatments a week, and then have 2 days free. I know mom and dad want to take us to Beijing, but who knows what we'll end up doing! Soraya is being pretty good, but she is very hyper! She is anxious to get back home to see her friends and family.

My parents have had funny adventures in Chinese society. My dad went to the bank with our interpreter, Sweetie, and then my mom went with her to the supermarket. Both think she is a bit crazy and almost impossible to understand....and she's our interpreter! Soraya has charmed her and all the other interpreters so we actually get lots of help! They think I'm adorable too! Actually, they are so excited about the changes I might undergo that they've asked my mom for filming rights to highlight my story on their website when I'm all done! Yesterday they started filming me for "before" footage....kinda crazy because I'm sooooooo tired that all I do is sleep, eat and laugh a lot! I hope I can figure this time change out a bit so that I can be more of myself for them to see!

I'll try and do more updates as I get treatments and as we all have more funny stories to share! Thanks to everyone for your love and support! Lots of love to all!

5 Weeks...

Well, 5 weeks and counting! That's right...we will be leaving soon for China and things are really moving fast now! My parents are still accepting donations, but have finished with all the formal fundraisers. Thanks to all of your generosity, we are going to make it! Each one of you will have a part in the miracle that is my life from China forward, and I will be forever grateful for your love!

We'll be leaving Detroit on June 22 so we can make it to the hospital in Qingdao on June 24th. We come back on July 18th, and my mom will make sure to give everyone updates so that you can all follow my progress. I am very excited about how my life is about to change....my cousin was very funny last night and said that my first words will probably be "stop Soraya!" as my sister feels the extreme need to smother me at all times! I love it and her so much, but I think my cousin might be right!

Please know that my family and I really appreciate the outpouring of love and support that we have received along this journey so far, and we hope that it continues as we truly prepare for these travels. Lots of love to all!

Starting to get excited!

Well today is only 2 months away from when I'll be arriving to China! I can't believe after all of this time we'll soon be going to get those treatments! I found out this weekend that a friend of mine, Arjay, will also be in China when I'm there, and I'm so excited about meeting him in person. His mom and my mom have been helping each other throughout this process and being there together will truly be wonderful!

I know there is still so much to do! We are just over 1/2 way to meeting our fundraising goals, and hopefully the events planned for May will be successful. We also still need to finalize our travel plans, prepare my food and medicine for the trip, as well as figure out what we're going to take as gifts/tokens of appreciation for the staff in China. So much to do and with only 2 months left, I'm sure my parents will be busy, busy, busy!

So that leaves me to soak up all the love I can from my extended family and friends before we take off. Thanks to all of you who support my family and me...whether it's with love, money, time, or just an ear/shoulder for my parents to use...every little bit helps and is much needed during this huge transition in our lives! Talk to you all again soon!

Najib

Starting to Chew!

After 2 1/2 years of sucking my food back, I have spent the last 2 or 3 days actually beginning to chew! May seem like a small accomplishment to most of you, but for it's HUGE for me--this could be the beginning of better mouth control, possible speech patterns, not to mention the ability to actually enjoy textures and flavors of food in a whole new way! I know that after my trip to China so much will improve, and I hope that eating is one of them! I have a ton of food allergies....dairy, soy, egg, nuts, peaches, plums, peas, etc., and frankly I am sick of eating mashed meat, carrots, zucchini, pears, apples, kiwi ad banana....no wonder I don't gain much weight....that's what eating healthy will do!

We celebrated my sister's 5th birthday this weekend! I love her sooooooo much! I was laughing a lot with her, and I was very happy to see her so happy! She's my favorite person in the whole world! I can't wait for the day to come when I can run around with her, and even get her back for all the "love pats" she gives me! Prepare yourself, Soraya, life after China will never be the same for you!

My mom and dad are quite busy getting everything ready for the next fundraisers (another day out at the gym on April 18th and a dinner/dance on May 2nd), so things around the house have been a bit crazed! Hopefully with the good weather around the corner we'll be able to sneak in some family walks here and there! I love going outside and feeling the wind against my face as we walk! I even get excited when I see my coat or shoes because I know what's coming next!

Ok, well that's all I have for now! Hopefully the next fundraisers will be a huge success and my family can focus on enjoying life to its fullest!

A little bit of history...

HI! My name is Najib Puerto-Khalil, and I am the proud son of Felipe and Naomi, and brother to Soraya. I arrived to this great family on January 21, 2006 and was happy to join such a great bunch of people, not to mention my 13 cousins, many aunts and uncles, and my loving, devoted sitoo, Christine!

Although I am a very happy, gentle 3 year old, I face many health challenges that have limited my quality of life. I have suffered from seizures since I was 4 months old, have MANY severe food allergies, terrible acid-reflux and digestive issues, not to mention a cerebral palsy diagnosis that reflects my inability to move independently or form any type of speech pattern. I do get my point across, however! My parents know when I am hungry, happy, sad, frustrated, mad, etc! The rest will come in time!

My mom and dad do all they can to help me out and to improve my quality of life. We go to tons of doctors, receive therapies, and take meds and alternative supplements to assist with my healing so that I can enjoy life! My favorite thing to do is to play with my sister, Soraya, but I long to be able to tackle her, run after her and give her all the loving she gives to me! So to that end, my parents, sister and I will be traveling to China this summer so that I can receive 5 umbilical cord stem cell transplants. It will be quite an adventure and undertaking, so we need everyone's help and support. My parents have been fundraising to make the trip a reality, and soon we will be prepping for our long journey to China!

I would like to invite you along on this journey...a road paved with hope! Stay tuned because we'll be departing soon!