A woman adopts a child who lived locked up in a horrible orphanage: now they are mother and son
Adoption is a process which has more than one meaning. It represents a gift for those who adopt, because those who have love to offer can finally find someone to give it to. It is a gift for those who are adopted, because they have a second chance to have the family they deserve, another chance to be happy. There are many children in the world who are waiting to be welcomed by a good heart. Unfortunately, not everyone will find a home, but today's story is about someone who has succeeded.
This is the love story of a mother who found her family in an unknown child from another country, and of the child who found the mother who was denied to him in a stranger. Stacey Gagnon found little Israel in an orphanage in Bulgaria.
The institution was a real nightmare: dilapidated premises, non-existent services, and children kept confined in small boxes, practically like caged animals. At the time, the little one was 4 years old, he was visibly underweight, malnourished and in a critical state of health.
When Stacey's eyes met Israel's naked and defenseless gaze her heart opened and she decided she would not leave without him. The happiness of having found him, of having saved him from that hell for innocent souls, was mixed with sadness.
The moment the woman left the orphanage with the baby, she thought about how many other children she had had to abandon. That experience changed her life and the perspective with which she now looks at reality every day.
If she hadn't arrived in time, Israel might no longer be with us. In just a few months he grew from a 12-24 month size to the size of a child of his true age. His previously weakened vision due to food shortages now allows him to see the world like everyone else, to go to school and play with his classmates.
He loves going to church and being outdoors. Everything that is normal everyday life for others is like a party for this child. Every single breath and step he takes expresses his joy and gratitude.
Not a day goes by when Stacey doesn't think back to that terrible place where the child who is now her son spent time waiting for a dismal future. To think that there are so many other similar places with so many other children who may never get escape from their circumstances.
This is why adoption is a gift. There are those who would like to do something but cannot. But those who have the possibility and the opportunity almost have a moral duty to act. Somewhere there is a child just waiting to be found and loved like Stacey has done with her Israel.
