Dad Refuses to Give Up Newborn Son With Down Syndrome

New Zealander Samuel Forrest  lived in Armenia for 3 years, he married an Armenian woman, he knows about Armenian hospitality and strong families, but he was surprised, when he knew that many parents abandon children with disabilities just after birth. Baby’s Armenian mother and her family abandoned the baby too, when they knew about his Down syndrome, but his father didn’t want to give him to orphanage, reported  Disabilityinfo website .

“When I saw him I immediately felt love. He had lots of black hair and he was just perfect. When doctors said, that he has Down syndrome, I was shocked for a few minutes, but it didn’t last long. It never occurred to me that we would not keep him. I have decided to take him to New Zealand, because he will have more opportunities there,” tells Sam and adds that children with Down syndrome go to kindergarten, school, they have opportunities to work and they’re included in society. He tells that he has some friends with Down syndrome there and they are really happy people.

“I have been told in hospital, that 98% of babies who has Down syndrome are abandoned.  It seems that the parents have ideal design for the baby, and if the child is not like it, they don’t want him. I have done some research and it’s typical not only for Armenia, but for other ex-Soviet countries too. Also parents fear public opinion”

New Zealander father also thinks that hospitals have wrong approach to families that have children with disabilities.

“While the care and level of professionalism at the hospital was exceptional, what happens, when the baby is born with Down syndrome here, the doctors actually say that you have 10 days to give him to orphanage before they let you see the baby. The parent should see the baby, hold the baby and maybe after that they may help to make decision. But they did it other way, which was completely wrong to me.”

Comparing Armenia and New Zealand, Samuel tells that in New Zealand parents abandon their children with Down syndrome too, but in New Zealand there are many institutions and social support for families who have children with disabilities, inclusive education is better and easier to obtain, and then people with Down syndrome have opportunities to work. So he thinks, it’s better for Leo and him to live in New Zealand.

“I really like Armenia and we are going to visit, but Leo will have more opportunities in New Zealand. I don’t have anyone there and I will take care of him alone, so I raise money online to take care of my baby for one year and not to give him to daycare centers”.  (  He’s enlisted for some help on his GoFundMe page titled “Bring Leo Home”  ).

Baby’s father gives advice to families who have a child with Down syndrome or other disability to pass the initial shock and see the person, not his disability.

“Down syndrome becomes a negative label, a stereotype and people don’t see the personality, the little person inside. The baby doesn’t know about his Down syndrome, the others have the label for him. So, when I looking at my child, I’m not looking at his syndrome, I’m looking at Leo. And that’s what I want to focus on and I encourage others to do so.

I want Armenian fathers to know, that this is something we can do. Even everyone wants to give a child; you can keep him and take care of him.  It’s not really difficult, but I understand that people may have lack of confidence if they are not used to children. It’s easier when his small, it will be more difficult maybe when he’ll grow up.”

Samuel thinks that the main reason that parents in Armenia abandon their children with disabilities is the lack of information and education.

“Most of people have stereotypes and labels fixed in their brains and when they come up to situation like this, they abandon the child. It’s not just society, it’s not just the culture, it’s ignorance, it’s the lack of information. And also Armenia there are not so many institutions, social support and networks to help in Armenia. We need to educate people, to tell them about positive experiences and let them to give a baby a chance.”

Full text on Disabilityinfo website