After receiving rejections from her mother and twenty additional families hoping to adopt her, a young girl’s luck has changed.
The adoption tale of Luca Trapanese and his daughter Alba has gone viral for many reasons, but perhaps most notably because of the rarity with which social services will award custody to a single, homosexual male.
However, they did make an exception for Luca. and we couldn’t be happier that they did.
Italian Luca, 41, wrote a book about being a parent to Alba, a girl with Down syndrome, and the challenges he faced along the way, as reported by the BBC.
Trapanese claimed in a radio appearance that his situation “destroys stereotypes about fatherhood, religion, and family.”
Adoptions by gay or single parents in Italy have historically proved difficult.
“I was told that I’d only be given a child with an illness, a severe disability, or behavioral problems,” he told the BBC. “I was absolutely OK with that.”
Luca adopted Alba in 2017, when she was just 13 days old, after 20 families had declined to take her because of her medical conditions.
“She brought me happiness and a sense of fulfillment. I am proud to be her dad,” he said.
Luca had a lifelong desire to become a father and has worked in several facilities for people with special needs. After losing his best friend to cancer at the age of 14, he became deeply committed to helping others.
In his spare time, he helped the seriously ill and the disabled through Catholic-affiliated charities.
That’s why he went ahead with the adoption of Alba, who lives with him in a loving family even if he doesn’t have a girlfriend.
The BBC says that Alba is a determined and, at times, stubborn young child. She is a social person who takes pleasure in playing and dancing with others.
“It was the first time I’d held a newborn baby. Before that moment, I had always been scared. But, when I first held Alba, I knew I was ready to be her dad,” he said. “I was overcome with joy. I felt she was my daughter straight away.”
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