Baruch Dayan Emet

Since I became aware of the wholesale abandonment and neglect of children with special needs in most of the world - even places I thought were "civilized" - there were a handful of children who struck a special chord in my heart.  One of them was taken home by his parents!  A couple have been adopted, and I am following their stories as they emerge from their cocoon of institutionalization and becoming the brilliant butterflies they were meant to be. And a couple are trapped behind the Russian adoption ban, unless a European or domestic Russian family comes forward for them.

Sasha was spoken for.  A family had committed to adopting him, to take him out of the Level 4 Institute he had recently been transferred to and bring him home. To help him recover from the severe malnutrition he had clearly been suffering from.  To provide for his many known and unknown medical needs.  And to love him unconditionally.

They were due to travel to Ukraine in 5 weeks.

35 days.

And now he is dead.  Most likely buried in an unmarked grave in a field among the other children who died before their time, for the same reason or similar reasons.   Maybe a cross is planted over his undersized corpse.  But no-one will visit his grave.  No one will pray over it.

Sasha was the second child listed on Reece's Rainbow to die as an orphan since the beginning of 2013. The first one was a little girl with the screen name "Stacy", also with Down syndrome, also recently transferred:

It has been documented that the overwhelming majority (estimated around 85%) of children with Down syndrome who are placed in these "mental institutions" die within a year of transfer.

How many more will needlessly die this year, for want of food, medical care, and LOVE?

Adonay natan.  Adonai lakakh.  Yehi shem Adonai mevorakh.
The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away.  Blessed be the name of the Lord.

They were going to name him Jonathan - "The Lord gave".