While I'm thinking about it, here is more information about Hep B. There is a great yahoo group for families with Hep B+ adoptive kids. These people know much more then I do. If you adopt a child with Hep B, you will need to monitor their blood. If their virus is active you'll need to have the disease treated. There are different types of Hep B, and some types of the disease respond to certain drugs better then other types. The drugs they have to treat this disease are always improving. They expect to be able to cure Hep B in 5-10 years. I hope Sarah will not have to deal with this forever! Try to find a Dr that has experience treating children with this disease. The local Dr is OK for the monitoring stage, but find a Dr for treatment just in case you need it.
If a person gets Hep B (not born with it) they will probably get pretty sick. They may become very tired or experience flu like symptoms. They should find a liver treatment center. They can probably recover with treatment. Untreated they could develop serious liver problems. Hep B attacks the liver.
People with Hep B should do everything they can to protect their liver. Some drugs and some foods are not the best thing for them. They should never drink alcohol. They should also be vaccinated agents Hep A, and avoid risky behavior that can cause them to contact Hep C. You always hear about people with Hep B developing liver cancer. This can happen. Generally it happens to older people and to those who were not careful with their liver (drinking and smoking etc). Men have a higher rate of liver cancer. It is very important to test their blood every 6 months so if the body starts to recognize and fight the virus it can be treated.
People with Hep B can have children. The partner needs to be vaccinated agents the disease, and the baby should have the vaccination right after birth. Also in a world where there is HIV, and other sicknesses all our children should be taught not to engage in risky sexual behavior. Kids with Hep B even more so!
Children with Hep B can do nearly everything anyone else can. Swimming for example is something Sarah loves to do. If she gets a bloody nose or cut, that is what the chlorine in the pool is for. It kills the virus. We need to be careful and responsible but it doesn’t affect us much. The biggest thing is really being careful to protect Sarah. We are due for another blood draw soon. She is a brave kid. She takes having her blood drawn very well. I’m very proud of her. If you have any questions about Hep B, I’ll try to answer you. I hope people will consider adopting a child with this special need. There are so many children that wait because people are afraid. You don’t need to be afraid. It is really pretty easy to handle this special need. Many children in China are not even allowed to attend school if it is known they have Hep B. I could never imagine Sarah, who has such a hungry mind not being allowed to learn because of this minor special need. Some of you have the power to change their whole futures just by getting past your fear and saying yes to them. I do not think of Sarah as having a Special need, I only see her as special!
