In Italy, a man named Luc Trapanese, who is 41 years old, really wanted to be a dad. Even though he and his partner broke up, he still wanted to make his dream of being a father come true. When they were together, they planned to adopt a child with a disability. But now that he’s single, he was told he couldn’t adopt a child.
Luckily, in 2017, Luc was able to become a parent and adopt a child. The child he could adopt might have some challenges, like disabilities or behavior issues, but Luc didn’t mind. That’s what he really wanted to do.
In just one year, Luc adopted a baby named Alba, who was only 13 days old. Alba has Down’s syndrome, and her mom left her at the hospital. What’s really sad is that more than 20 families said no to taking care of her before Luc decided to be her family. Luc was like Alba’s last chance to have a loving home.
Says Luc: “I knew I was ready to be her dad.”
So, Luc brought her to his house to become friends. She was confident and liked going for walks in the park and the museum. She also liked being around people in Luc’s world. Luc always cared about kids who were sick or had problems. His best friend from when he was a kid got really sick and died from cancer. Luc stayed with him every day until he passed away. After that, Luc began helping at his church, taking care of people who were very sick and children with disabilities. Luc enjoyed doing this a lot.
“Later on, he and his friend started a charity to help people with disabilities. This made him really happy, and the biggest source of his happiness is a special person named Alba.”
Says Luc: “Alba completely revolutionized my life. She brought me happiness and a sense of fulfillment.”
He’s a dad who takes care of a special child, and he wrote a book about their special life called “Born For You.” Lots of people liked it, and he even talked about it on TV shows.
Says Luc: “I think mine and Alba’s story shatters so many stereotypes about fatherhood, religion, and family.”
And, hopefully, it will continue to do so.
