Just about every child dreams of what life will be like when they grow up. They dream of being a princess or a ballerina, a firefighter or a superhero. Or they simply want to get married and have kids.
As the years pass, some people end up exactly where they imagined they would.
Others give up their childlike dreams for more realistic goals like becoming a teacher, doctor, or small business owner.
But for some people, life isn’t even close to what they expected.
Tommy Collony, a 23-year-old student from Australia, spent his days studying, hanging out with his friends, and training to be an elite-level runner.
Then one day, he got a message on Facebook. It was from his favorite cousin, whom he hadn’t seen for more than 10 years. To protect her identity, we’ll call her “Angela.”
Angela had dropped out of school after grade six.
She started experimenting with drugs, and it didn’t take long before she was hooked. She became homeless.
The last time Tommy saw her, she was a little girl. But now, she was 17 years old and pregnant.
Tommy immediately understood that he had to do something to help her. She was only weeks away from giving birth, and the child’s biological father was in prison.
Tommy wanted to make sure that Angela would keep her baby, stay off the streets, and have a good, safe life.
Fortunately, Tommy had saved up some money by working during his university holidays.
He got a bigger apartment, bought all necessary baby supplies, and let Angela move in. A week later, she gave birth to a healthy little boy, whom we’ll call “Joshua.”
In just a few weeks, Tommy had not only become a responsible father—but had also become a grandfather. He put his training on hold and started working more to support Angela and her newborn son.
Tommy’s life doesn’t look anything like it did just a couple of months ago, but he doesn’t mind.
He loves his new family and has good friends nearby.
“If it’s one or two years of my life I have to put on hold to make sure two lives are going to be saved, it’s nothing at all,” Tommy told the Daily Mail.
Tommy said he was surprised by all of the support he got from around the world. His brother Liam started a fund for the new family and they managed to collect more than 50,000 Australian dollars.
Just because you’re not biologically related to your child doesn’t make you less of a parent. Parenting isn’t in your DNA, it’s in your heart.
Share if you agree.
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