JOSE
Jane had a
busy life—wife, mother of four sons, a career in nursing,
grandmother. When her
husband passed away, she searched her soul for a mission…a calling.
With a desire to speak Spanish fluently, Jane headed for Bolivia just months after
her husband’s passing. The very day she landed in Bolivia, May 30, 1996,
baby Jose came into the world, and soon the course of her life would
change in ways she couldn’t have begun to imagine.
After
getting oriented in her new surroundings, Jane began studying the
language and started work at an orphanage where her path crossed
with Jose’s. Born with hydro cephalus, neonatal meningitis and fetal
alcohol syndrome, little Jose had been left at the door of a
hospital. At three months of age, 4 lb. Jose came to live at the
orphanage with 28 other children under the age of one and their two
caregivers. Jose, who cried almost constantly due to his complex
medical problems, was cared for by Jane on a daily basis for four
months until it was time for her to return to her home in the
U.S.
Jane
traveled back to Bolivia the following
March and visited Jose, noting his condition had improved somewhat
since the day he had arrived at the orphanage. Assigned to work a
different orphanage, Jane took Jose along where he slept in her room
and she provided him with nursing and loving care. Jane paid for
surgery to implant a shunt in Jose’s brain, which provided relief to
the little boy. Again, it was time to part and Jane returned to the
States…but not for long. She soon found herself back at the
orphanage. It was immediately apparent that Jose’s condition had
deteriorated in her absence—he was not eating and no one could coax
a smile from him. The other caregivers remarked that Jose’s decline
started the day she had left.
Marked improvement upon her return was all of the evidence
Jane needed that Jose had become attached to her—and that she had
found her calling. Jane petitioned the government to become Jose’s
guardian, which was granted in March 2001, and in September 2001,
she and adopted son Jose moved to Payson, Arizona.
Caring for Jose is a 24-7 act of love. At nine years of age,
Jose’s social age is approximately that of a one-year-old—he smiles
and laughs, and enjoys his visits to Whispering Hope Ranch.
“One of the things that struck me when we first visited the
ranch was the way Jose responded to the burro
that came up to him and just nuzzled him” said Jane. “You could see
Jose's eyes light up! He doesn't have a lot of movement in his arms,
but you could see he tried to reach out and touch (Eeyore). It was
the same way with the llamas. They had a very special connection” Jane remarked. “I also saw that with the
other children and other animals. You can tell that there's a real
special something that happens between children and
animals”.
After meeting this compassionate woman and
her beautiful son, we asked Jane if we could share her and Jose’s
story with friends of Whispering Hope Ranch. Jane responded, “I
would love to tell Jose’s story. It is a story of courage and
indomitable will.”
Everyone who meets him can see how very precious Jose
is.
Contributions of time, talent and financial resources from
numerous individuals, foundations and corporations make it possible
for Whispering Hope Ranch Foundation to facilitate remarkable
experiences between special children like Jose and the animal
residents. With
expanded facilities to be completed summer 2005, WHR will bring the
wonder of nature and animals to thousands of special children, their
families and caregivers each year.
For more information about Whispering Hope Ranch
Foundation, visit our web site at
www.whisperinghoperanch.org or call (480) 970-4460.
