Single Dad Adopts Girl With Down Syndrome Rejected By 20 Families
From The Positive Outlook Blogs by Farah R.
An Italian man named Luca Trapanese has been involved in social service programs ever since he was a teenager. So when he held Alba, a baby girl born with Down syndrome who needed a family, he knew in his heart that he was going to be the father of the abandoned child.
From the moment she was born, Alba had been met with unfavorable circumstances. First, she was rejected by her mother because she had special needs. She was put up for adoption, but she was rejected by no less than 20 families – until Luca came.
The blonde-haired child’s life changed when Luca adopted her after being passed on by families who weren’t ready to raise a baby with her condition.
Luca had vast experience volunteering in various social service programs by a few organizations he has joined ever since he was young, including “A Ruota Libera” Foundation, a group that provides assistance to children with Down syndrome.
“Since I was 14 years old, I have volunteered and worked with the disabled so I felt I had the right knowledge and experience to do it,” he said.
Like any other adoption, this one was extremely difficult to finalize. Adoption agencies prefer “traditional” families over those that do not conform to the specific characteristics that a conventional family represents. This made things a lot harder for Luca, a homosexual man who became single after an 11-year-long relationship. He was set on adopting a child with a disability – even when it meant doing it alone.
“For me, a disabled child is not a second choice solution, but a conscious choice with respect to my vocation and my abilities,” he said.
Luca succeeded in his goal and is now a happy father to Alba, who has brought so much joy in his life ever since she came.
Fortunately, people with Down syndrome live better lives now than they did back then. Medical knowledge about the condition wasn’t widely present decades ago, so babies born with the condition were expected to face numerous health problems and to have short life spans. Now, they are able to live healthy lives, work, build families of their own, and most of all, make everyone around them happy. In fact, according to a study published by the American Journal of Medical Genetics, families who live with people with Down syndrome have very high happiness rates.
For sure, Luca could attest to that now that he has this little angel by his side. He and Alba are in for the best times of their lives now that they are together!
Be sure to check Luca’s Instagram page to follow this amazing duo’s journey!
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