Some children are born after months or years of planning, and there’s no surprise when the pregnancy test comes up positive. But other babies come as a complete shock to their parents-to-be.
I wasn’t planned, and when my mom found out she was having twins, she was stunned. Still, my parents have always loved my sister and me as much as our siblings.
But not everyone is able to be a parent, and in the worst cases, they are forced to give up their child for adoption.
That was exactly what happened to Gabe. He was born in Brazil, and when he was only two days old, his mother left him at an orphanage.
Gabe’s future looked bleak. He seemed destined to a lonely life confined to a hospital bed.
The chances of him being adopted were very small, because he didn’t look like the other children at all.
Gabe was born without arms or legs.
Then one day, Janelle Adams from Utah saw Gabe’s picture in a supermarket and decided that she wanted to help him.
Many people who passed the picture must have felt the same way, but Janelle couldn’t get the toddler out of her mind.
Finally, she managed to track down the oprhanage where Gabe lived and set the adoption process into motion.
The adoption didn’t move quickly, but after the paperwork was finished, Janelle and her husband, Ron, were finally able to go the airport and pick up their long-awaited son. It was love at first sight.
From the beginning, Janelle and Ron treated Gabe as their own. And the more the boy learned to manage himself, the more independent he became.
When he was 12 years old, Gabe could do almost everything that other children his age could do, despite his disabilities. He could dress himself, walk, eat, and swim. And he could even walk up stairs without help.
“I can do it, and I can do it with a smile,” says Gabe.
The boy’s parents wanted him to become independent and not need to depend on others his whole life.
“It has always been our goal to allow Gabe freedom and choices, that we know it will only come if he can independent,” says Gabe’s father.
But it’s not easy. It takes a lot of work to handle everything without arms or legs. Gabe loves to swim, and he does sit-ups and climbs up and down the stairs at home for exercise.
When the Adams family adopted Gabe, they thought they were just saving him from a lonely life in a hospital bed.
But they quickly realized that it was Gabe who saved them. He’s taught them about what’s actually important in life. And he’s taught them to work harder and never give up.
Watch a news report about Gabe here:
Gabe is a real fighter who spreads joy to everyone he meets.
Please share Gabe’s story with your friends on Facebook if you were also inspired by his winning attitude!
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