McKinsley

I am smitten. My heart was stolen with just one smile. His name is McKinsley (spelled this way for us American folks) and he is a precious 6 year old who lives in a Hope Home in Haiti. McKinsley is a normal, happy boy...he loves spaghetti and Speed Racers and bubbles. He is rather affectionate and perhaps the most unselfish child I've ever met. His six years allude him because of his small frame, and at first glance you'd think he was a thin 4 year old. He could easily be described as frail, but his size is easily forgotten once you look into those big dark eyes. Spending time with him for just a short time and seeing how much he loves life, you would never guess he was HIV positive. But this lurking threat of a disease has been his reality since his birth. Found abandoned in a market place just over the Dominican border when he was 2, McKinsley now battles his sickness as an orphan, but he seeks no pity. He is a fighter. He lives in an orphanage with over 30 other children and you can tell he loves his life there as well as his many brothers and sisters. Whenever music plays, he gets up and proceeds in a dance we have deemed "the grandpa dance" since he simply stands in one place and slightly bends his knees to the music, all while a bit hunched over like an older gentleman. Hilarious, I tell you. I can't wait to see him again. You can bet we'll play some music and I'll imitate his dance just to get him going. What a joy he is, in every way. His big heart has impacted me so. I can't wait to see him again, but until then he will be looking at me every day from the picture on our refrigerator and I will never cease to hold him close to my heart. 

For more information on how you can visit McKinsley and other orphans like him, visit hopegivers.org.