Towards the end of last summer, three children, newborns, were abandoned in a hospital in Bucharest. Stelian has Down syndrome, Gabriel has tracheostomy and gastrostomy (he breathes and feeds through tubes), and Eric has hydrocephalus, West syndrome, and at least for now, he can’t see.
The medical personnel did all they could to help them recover. Often without hope, many times alone, these children stubbornly fought to stay alive.
When our volunteers started visiting them, it was evident to everyone that in addition to medical care, these children needed a family. More than once, however, the medical personnel expressed their skepticism: “only through a miracle would anyone take a child like this home.”
Not just one miracle happened, but three. At a time when ordinary people are overwhelmed with the instinct to survive, to reduce their expenses, to limit their investments, and to stop donating, three modest families, with a heart like the heart of God, extended the hospitality of their homes and said “welcome to our family” to these three children:
Stelian- the boy with Down syndrome went to a family in Bihor. This family has three other biological children and one adopted girl, but they decided that there still is space in their home.
Gabriel- the boy that breathes through a tube and feeds through another will go to his future parents in Arges. Two ordinary people with three other children (one biological and two in the process of adoption). “We set out to show our little Vlad authentic Christianity: to preach through actions.”
Eric- the boy with over 25 operations, with hydrocephalus and West syndrome, the boy that had his biological parents declare in front of the judge: “neither me, nor my wife, will stop our jobs or lives for a child” and “our life does not revolve around this baby” has found a family that for Eric, he has become the most precious. This family has five other adopted children and all of them receive him with so much warmth and love. They decided that for Eric, it is worth it to stop a job, and if there is a need, to move mountains for him.
Love in this time of a pandemic or miracles in this time..More than survival or fear or personal development. You can be a miracle for a child that needs a family:
- Inform yourself: find out the stories of the 50,000 children in the system, their dreams about what “home” means, about how they want to change the world when they’re older
- Help a family that adopted, volunteer with a NGO, donate to a serious organization
- Adopt: save a life, change a destiny
Because a child deserves to smile, to run, and to play protected by their mom and dad!