One adoptee once shared, “My birth mother brought me into this world, but it is my adoptive parents who gave life to me”.

Louie (not his real name), has been under the custody of his foster family since he was two (2) days old. Couple Ronnel and Daisy (not their real names) are very delighted with Louie’s presence in their family. They introduced him to their three (3) biological children as their youngest brother.

Sickly and physically weak, the couple did not consider Louie as a burden to the family rather a great blessing for them to show love at its finest and its most genuine form. Since the child arrived in their doorsteps through an unknown old lady (said to be the biological grandmother), Louie is observed to be pale, thin, and yellowish.

“When the old lady knocked in our door and asked our help to take care of Louie, he was wrapped with a green baby cloth,” shares Daisy.

“He (Louie) wore white gloves, white socks, and white cap. Weighing 2.6 kilos only, his ribs were very noticeable and he has few rashes on his body.” she adds.

Since then, the couple have always brought Louie to the pediatrician for constant medication. According to the doctor, the baby has a weak immune system and he needs to take vitamins and other medication to boost his system. Complete immunization was then provided to the child.

Two months after, Louie was admitted to their town hospital, and was diagnosed with congenital heart disease. He has Atrial Septal Defect (ASD) measuring 6.9mm-9.00mm with left to right shunting. He was recommended to undergo a Two-Dimensional Echocardiogram (2d Echo) every six months to monitor his septum defect.  According to the doctor, the septum may possibly close but there is also a possibility that it will not. If Louie would turn 1 year old and the septum will not close, he is advised to undergo heart surgery for the closure of Ventricular Septal defect tetralogy of Fallot when he is between 1 to 5 years old.

Like their own, the couple ensured the good health of Louie and followed the prescriptions of the doctor. Both Ronnel and Daisy did not hesitate to spend money to guarantee that Louie will be treated from his sickness and he will be of sound health.

Gladly, when Louie turned 1 year and 11 months, the doctor found out that he no longer has the Atrial Septal Defect (ASD).

Louie is now 2 years old. He stands 34 inches and weighs 9 kilos. The child can now utter words like Tay-tay, Tetet, and Nanay. He says “nam-nam” to express when he is hungry or wants to drink milk. Louie smiles and giggles when played by the biological children of her foster parents. He dances when he hears music, learns gesture by bowing his head to touch the hand of the elders as a sign of respect. He now can walk on his own and roam around the house unassisted.

Until now, the couple has no idea on the names and address of Louie’s biological family. They tried various means such as broadcast and print media to ask the public regarding the identity of the child’s parents. However, there were no responses to the said announcements and none of his biological family appeared to the proper authorities. When Louie’s grandmother brought him to the couple last September 2013 in their house in Surigao City, she begged them to take care of her grandson because they could not afford to raise the child and provide his basic needs. The only information provided to them was that the mother of the child was still underage.

It has been two years since the child’s parents and relatives did not come back to claim his custody. Nonetheless couple Ronnel and Daisy are responsibly and compassionately taking good care of Louie. They are now facilitating their legal adoption of Louie, to formalize and legalize their already performed role to him as his parents. #