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Italian Luca Trapanese, a gay Catholic single father, is also a hero – at least to his daughter, Alba.
Trapanese adopted Alba, who has Down syndrome, after her mother abandoned her and 20 other families rejected her.
Trapanese and his partner spoke often about adopting a child with disabilities, but after they broke up, he faced even more difficulties with the Italian legal system. At the time, single parents weren’t allowed to adopt.
As soon as the law changed in 2017, Trapanese knew he had his chance. He was told he would only be given a child with an illness or severe disability, but that didn’t deter him in the least.
“In July 2017, I got a phone call from the Tribunal. They said they had a baby girl for me. Her name was Alba and she was 30 days old. She had Down syndrome and she had been abandoned by her biological mother. She had also been rejected by more than 20 families. I struggled to contain my joy. I immediately said yes. I rushed to the hospital to pick her up. She was in a teeny tiny cradle all by herself. When I first held her in my arms, I was overcome with joy. I felt she was my daughter straight away. It was the first time I held a newborn baby. Before that moment, I have always been scared, but when I first held Alba, I knew I was ready to be her dad,” he said.
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