A Secret in the Swaddling Cloth
One morning in 2024, a tightly wrapped swaddle was found curled up on the stone steps of a child welfare institution in Guangxi. When the caregiver gently unwrapped the dew - soaked cloth, she discovered a newborn baby boy, just a few days old. Attached to his abdomen was a colostomy bag leaking yellow - green fluid, secured crudely with a red thread and rough stitches. Inside the folds of the blanket was a crumpled red envelope containing 600 ￥, half a pack of diapers, and two boxes of medicine—everything his biological parents had left behind.
Anal atresia
Zhi was born with a rare birth defect, congenital anal atresia, a condition in which the rectum fails to connect to the anus during fetal development, occurring in about 1 in 5,000 newborns. Children with this condition don’t have normal bowel movement, and often develop abnormal fistulas between the intestines and urinary or reproductive systems, causing fecal matter to be discharged through the urethra or vagina. Without timely surgery, 90% of affected infants die before age one due to sepsis or multi - organ failure. Zhi’s case was even more severe: a rectourethral fistula contaminated his urinary tract with feces, causing backflow into the ureters and serious kidney infections. His colostomy bag became the only lifeline keeping him alive.
A Winter of Wounds
By November 2024, the smell of disinfectant in the welfare institution was overpowered by a scent of decay. Zhi’s colostomy site had ulcerated into a fist - sized wound, with exposed intestinal tissue seeping mucus in the bitter cold. During a teleconsultation with Chunhui Care Home team, the video call suddenly shook violently—Zhi was having seizures brought on by a high fever due to his infected urinary tract. A sobbing caregiver brought the thermometer into view: “39.1°C! Start the emergent hospi-tal transfer immediately!”
Chunhui Mama Hu Yan became Zhi’s caregiver for his treatment in Beijing. Chunhui Care Home would be his safe harbor in the capital.
Nurturing Care
For the three days leading up to the surgery, Mama Hu Yan followed a strict two - hour care routine. She gently flushed Zhi’s inflamed colostomy site with saline and applied antibacterial compresses.
“Look, baby, here comes the spaceship to deliver stars!”
While Zhi was mesmerized by a glowing toy, Hu swiftly tested his urethral secretions with pH strips. On the night of the operation, she dabbed honey water on his chapped lips with a sterile cotton swab. The quiet hum of the ECG monitor blended with the soft lullaby Jasmine Flower floating through the hospital room.
A Nine - Hour Fight for Life
At 6:00 am on December 7, 2024, the surgical lights illuminated the operating room. The head of pediatric urology held Zhi’s tiny 2mm ureter in micro - forceps. As three teams of doctors performed a nine - hour operation to complete ureteral reimplantation, repair the rectourethral fistula, and reconstruct the anus. In the insulation can beside the operating table, a carefully blended Intestinal Nutrient Solution prepared by Chunhui Mamas with rice oil at body temperature stood ready throughout the entire procedure.
Outside the operating room, Chunhui Mama Hu Yan waited without rest. That was Hu’s promise: she would always be there. After the surgery, she held Zhi’s swollen hand and softly sang nursery rhymes to ease his post - op anxiety.
Hope for Tomorrow
During his recovery, Chunhui Mamas guided Zhi through sphincter exercises using educational models. They gently inserted body-temperature dilators lubricated with mineral oil or Vaseline to help him build strength and control.
Today, Zhi, now two years old, runs unsteadily through the hallway of Chunhui Care Home, holding a rehabilitation diagram of the digestive system in his arms. He often pauses at the door of the operating room during follow - up medical treatments, pressing his ear to the panel to listen. The hum of surgical tools that once saved his life has, in his memory, become the soft lullaby sung by his Chunhui Mama—a tender echo of love and healing.
One day, the surgical wound that once held a colostomy bag would be covered not with gauze, but with a cartoon - themed adhesive bandage.