Today's Tribute: Xiaoqing Cai

Xiaoqing Cai was born on February 19, 1964 in Chengdu China. She studied at the Foreign Languages Department in Sichuan University, where she majored in English language and literature. After earning B.A and M.A. degrees there, Xiaoqing came to United States as a graduate student in October of 1988 to attend Michigan State University, where she received her second M.A., in American Studies, in the spring of 1990.  

In 1990, after graduating from Michigan State University, she moved to San Rafael, California with Bill Baumeister, whom she had met while in Chengdu waiting for her visa to enter the United States, and got married. Xiaoqing worked as a preschool teacher for six years at the on-site day care of the Lucas Film Company at Skywalker Ranch. After the birth of her daughter in 1994, she began working for Bay Area Adoption Services as the China Program Coordinator to help American families adopting children from China. 

Xiaoqing was diagnosed with first stage breast cancer in May of 2007 and had a mastectomy. The same year in September, she lost her beloved father to lung cancer. Xiaoqing continued working for B.A.A.S. through these hardships, and helped us with our second adoption. She matched our family with a beautiful 18-month-old baby girl  in the summer of 2008.

Receiving the Community Service Award, January 2010

In September of 2008, Bill and Xiaoqing became the guardians of a 6-year-old boy whose adoption was disrupted after the adoptive family brought him to United States from China. Less than 6 months later, in February of 2009, she was diagnosed with local recurrence of breast cancer. Despite the changes to her family life that the addition of a young child entailed, and the difficulties of undergoing chemotherapy and radiation for her recurrent breast cancer, Xiaoqing continued to work tirelessly to join children in China's orphanages with families all over the U.S.  In January 2010, she received the Community Service Award from Families with Children from China - Northern California, in recognition of her amazing work to unite over 900 children (at that time) with their forever families. Later that same year, in October of 2010, Bill and Xiaoqing officially adopted their son Billy Baumeister, who is now almost 12 years old. 

Nearly 5 years after her chemotherapy and radiation treatment, Xiaoqing is celebrating her 50th birthday today.

Xiaoqing states, "I consider myself extremely lucky to have a loving family, many supportive friends and a job that brings me much joy and satisfaction. I have been working as an adoption coordinator for almost twenty years and have helped the adoption of over a thousand orphaned children from China into loving homes."

With her calm demeanor, kind eyes and ready smile, Xiaoqing is loved by all who know her. She has changed the lives of over 1000 of China's orphans and, by doing so, has a special place in the hearts of every one of the families she has helped create. Our family is deeply indebted to her, and we are honored to call her our friend. We celebrate her half-century of life today, and wish her many more decades of health and happiness.   祝您健康长寿！