Scouring the city for daughter's birth parents
THE bond linking American couple Scott and Misty Mack to China is their adopted daughter Zhu Haixin.
In Shanghai yesterday, they visited a hospital, police station and a wet market in Xuhui District in their efforts to find the birth parents of Zhu Haixin, who is now 3-years-old.
“She is a huge blessing to us and we are very happy to have her in our lives,” Scott said. “We came here to try to find information about her family and who she was.”
Zhu Haixin, also known as Haley, was born around September 10, 2014 and abandoned at the Shanghai No. 6 People’s Hospital in Xuhui. She was diagnosed with heart and neural problems at birth.
“When she gets older and inquires about her mommy and daddy, who is her real family and what do we know about her, we should be able to answer her questions,” Scott said.
“If we can find her birth parents, we want to share with them how much we love her and all the happy information about her. We want to let them know that she is happy, healthy and loved, which will make them happy too.”
The Macks arrived in Shanghai on Tuesday night and will be here until Saturday. They live in Salem, Oregon.
On their first day in Shanghai yesterday, they visited the Shanghai No. 6 People’s Hospital in the morning and sat on the seat where little Zhu Haixin was spotted first on September 22, 2014, by the family of another patient.
The bench is outside the radiology room.
“We are very excited and happy returning here,” Scott said. The Macks had visited the hospital before during the adoption process in October 2016. The nurse who had alerted the police in 2014 was not on duty yesterday so the Macks have made an appointment to meet her today.
“I want to say thank you to the birth parents for letting us have their daughter in our family,” said Misty. “She is very well loved and she is beautiful and amazing.”
Misty said the thought of adoption originated years ago because reports of children given up for adoption “always touched her heart.”
She held Haley’s hands throughout yesterday as she talked about her adopted daughter.
“When I first saw her photo, it was like she was looking at me and smiling at me,” said Misty.
Scott and Misty Mack from the United States and their adopted daughter Zhu Haixin sit outside the radiology room of the Shanghai No. 6 People’s Hospital yesterday. Zhu was left at the hospital on September 22, 2014.
Scott and Misty Mack along with Zhu Haixin leave the Tianlin residential complex police station yesterday as they search for the birth parents of their adopted daughter.
In Oregon, the Macks, who have another daughter, have a large yard where their children play. “She is very happy, she loves playing, coloring and drawing, jumping on the trampoline, dancing and singing,” Misty said.
The family also tries their best to give the girl the best available medical treatment in the US. They have a doctor who checks Haley’s hands, arms and shoulders regularly in Oregon, and fly 3,220 kilometers to meet another doctor to treat her varus deformity.
Zhu Haixin can walk on her own now and visited several places in the United States, including Disneyland. The Macks want her to attend Chinese classes when she grows up.
Officers from the Tianlin residential complex police station in Xuhui District said yesterday that there was no footage from the surveillance camera at the hospital when the girl was abandoned.
A police officer surnamed Lei said he would check the written record or file of the girl and would contact the family.
Describing the moments leading to the adoption, Scott Mack said as he worked on the paperwork, “she was in a room, waiting.”
“I saw the nanny holding her. I could see the back of her head.
“When I got into the room, it was almost like a miracle, because normally, we would have expected her to be sad, crying and scared. But there was no crying at all. It was just like she and her mother loved each other.
“She started smiling at Misty, and they have enjoyed very strong bond since the minute they met.”
The family also asked for help from vendors and other people at a wet market near the hospital with help of a translator yesterday.
“Please help us spread the message via WeChat and tell us if you have any information about her,” Scott said. “We would appreciate any help.”
The family will visit the hospital again today and the Shanghai Children’s Home tomorrow.
“We don’t want to give up,” said Misty, adding that the family will keep all the documents of the girl, including photos of this search.
Anyone who can provide clues about Zhu Haixin can contact the writer at humin@shanghaidaily.com.
Mr Mack asks for help from a vendor at a wet market near the hospital.
See previous report
