We would all hope to earn a nickname like Avenal, who has been dubbed Le Le, or Happy, by her ayis because of her cheerful disposition. She greets visitors with a huge smile and is brimming with energy. She shouts loudly and almost bounces of the walls as she runs around the room in hope of receiving the spotlight of attention.

Hard to believe that she was abandoned at the doorsteps of Lang Fang’s Children Village in November of 2004 only a month after her October 17 birth. When the PHF staff found her at the gate, Avenal had huge lump on her head and inflamed rashes from irritation. The ayis that first saw her cried at the poor condition of the very thin, dark-skinned little girl. Later, the medical staff discovered that Avenal also had heart problems. Avenal has dextrocardia or a right-sided heart rather than the normal position on the left. This position often is associated with congenital heart disease but in her case the tests have been normal. She does have a lung abnormality that causes her to have a chronic respiratory problem. Her ayi is happy for Avenal’s complete adaptation into a normal life in the House of Peace, although she often has problems with breathing.

She is now two years old, and so independent as to even refuse the ayis’ attempts to feed her. Avenal bounces up and down in her high chair, kicking her feet wildly, happy when people have come to her dining hall. Her upturned face widened by her smile meets the glance of visitors every time.