This couple adopted a baby girl with HIV who had been rejected by several families
The concept and value of the family are directly linked to the heart of every human being.
It is true, in childhood, sometimes, you may have "hated" your older brother or sister for being "mean" to you or you may have thought many times that your parents were totally unfair.
Nevertheless, in the end, and in your heart - you knew they loved you and will always love you - just like you love them.
In fact, the family is a lifelong relationship and often, it is also the longest relationship that we will experience. Therefore, it inevitably has a huge impact on what we will grow up to be.
But above all else, the family is that special place where we can feel loved and safe, sheltered from a world that can sometimes be truly frightening.
This is the kind of family that Damian Pigfrhin and Ariel Vijarra have created together with little Olivia, an orphaned baby girl, who had been rejected by more than 10 families because she had been diagnosed with HIV at birth.
via Out
Damien and Ariel are the first openly gay couple to be married in Santa Fe, Argentina, and to have adopted two little girls, named Olivia and Victoria.
Both men work for a non-governmental organization (NGO) that helps couples adopt orphaned children who may have more difficulty finding a family.
After getting married, Damien and Ariel patiently tried to adopt a child and expand their family. After 3 years, the two came to know about Olivia, a little baby girl with HIV who had been rejected by 10 different families for this reason.
"As soon as I saw her, I felt that she was already a part of my life," said Ariel. "The connection was immediate. We held her in our arms, we fed her with her bottle and she looked at us with her little eyes wide open, without crying."
Once adopted, Olivia started responding to her HIV treatment, gained weight, and after a couple of years the family received absolutely incredible news - the virus was no longer present in Olivia's blood!
Now, not only does the little girl not have to worry about spreading the virus, but she also does not have to fear further damage to her delicate immune system.
A year after Olivia's adoption, the couple also welcomed another little girl, Victoria, who is now almost the same age as her sister.
Best wishes to Olivia and Victoria!
