Girl's wish to meet foreign grandmother comes true

A 3-year-old Schaumburg girl with a rare, life-threatening liver disease has been enjoying the fulfillment of her heart's desire for nearly a month.

Since mid-December, little Namuun Badamdorj has been basking in the company of her grandmother from Mongolia, Ichinnorov Purev, whom the girl previously knew only from periodic webcam chats.

Purev's first-ever visit to America, which ends Sunday, was made possible by the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Illinois.

"It was a perfect Christmas. I will never forget this Christmas," said Namuun's mother, Otgonjargal Tsedendamba. "When she got off the plane, my mom cried and I cried. Namuun was very happy."

Namuun was diagnosed with Progressive Familial Intraheptic Cholestasis (PFIC) just after she was born at Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge on Sept. 10, 2005. Her parents had emigrated from Mongolia the previous year.

Once the nature of Namuun's health problem was discovered, she was referred to Children's Memorial Hospital in Chicago for further care.

The baby girl was immediately put on a waiting list for a liver transplant but was moved to the top on an emergency basis when her liver completely stopped working at 5 months old.

With no other family in the country to turn to, the distraught parents were and remain extremely grateful for the help and guidance the doctors and nurses at Children's Memorial provided before, during and long after the Feb. 15, 2006, transplant.

The new liver came from part of an adult's, but is expected to grow with Namuun.

For about a year, she suffered many complications from the transplant. But with the help of anti-rejection medication and frequent checkups, she's improved greatly.

"I'm very happy right now," her mother said. "She's a very happy girl."

Namuun has attended preschool since September and looked forward to seeing her friends there again after winter break ended this week.

"When she sees the school bus, she claps her hands," Tsedendamba laughs.

Namuun's deep love for her grandmother really began as a result of her seeing a picture in a book of children with their grandmother.

"She started to ask, 'Where is my grandmother?'" Tsedendamba said.

To answer that, the family arranged to for webcam conversations with Purev in Mongolia's capital, Ulaanbaatar.

Though Purev speaks no English, Namuun is learning both English and her family's native Mongolian language.

But meeting Grandma in person has long been Namuun's wish. Because of her delicate health and the fact that Mongolia has few resources to respond to an organ rejection crisis, it may be a long time before it feels safe to have the Namuun travel there.

Children's Memorial passed along Namuun's hopes of meeting her grandmother to the Make-A-Wish Foundation, which followed up with an interview with the family.

Eligibility for the program requires that a child be between 21/2 to 18, have a life-threatening medical condition and live in Illinois.

Make-A-Wish spokeswoman Jessica Miller said of the 984 referrals made over the last year, 94 percent qualified.

Wishes like Namuun's, to bring a loved one from a foreign country, are relatively rare, with only about one or two granted each year, Miller said. Most wishes do involve travel, but usually it's the sick child who's given a trip.

For more information about referring a child or volunteering for Make-A-Wish Foundation, visit wishes.org or call (312) 602-9474.