Left without the support of his family and a new-born baby with Down syndrome to take care of, a father turned to strangers around the world for help and the results were heart warming.
According to BuzzFeed News, Samuel Forrest’s Armenian wife threatened him with divorce soon after she heard he would be keeping their newborn disabled baby, Leo.
“I looked at this guy and I said, he’s beautiful,” Forrest said referring to the first time he met his son. “He’s perfect and I’m absolutely keeping him.”
When he went to see his wife in the hospital room, she told him it was either the marriage or the baby.
“She told me if I kept him, then we would get a divorce,” said Forrest.
After Forrest made his choice, his wife filed for divorce and he was no longer welcome in the Armenian family’s home.
Unsure of what to do next, Forrest appealed to crowd funding website GoFundMe to ask for help and within two weeks he had already surpassed his target of $60 000 (about R678 000).
“9 days after we started our campaign, Leo and I found out in the wee hours of morning that we had crossed our target! He is a lucky guy to have the support of thousands of friends like you around the world,” Forrest said in an update on GoFundMe.
Originally from Auckland, Australia, Forrest said he would use the money to take Leo home and provide him with the best opportunities.
“Some of the additional funds that we have raised will be used to secure better living conditions in Auckland, and to give Leo higher quality opportunities when it comes to education – a good home and school cost money, but Leo will have all that and more, thanks to you,” he said.
Forrest said some of the money will also be used to help the neglected babies in Armenia.
“We’d also like to share the surplus funds with the only orphanage in Armenia that regularly takes abandoned Down Syndrome babies as well as other organisations that can help these children – thanks to your support we can start to make a difference already,” he added.
Image Source: GoFundMe
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