A Texas student has raised over $135,000 in donations to support the adoption of his son, Emilio, whom he discovered abandoned as a baby while visiting his homeland of Haiti.
Jimmy Amisial, 27, who attends Texas State University and travels to Haiti at least twice a year, said he was walking to an event in his home country in 2017 when a woman brought to his attention a baby left in a heap of trash. The baby, who was naked and covered in fire ants, cried loudly as others watched from afar. People were too afraid to touch him out of fear that the baby was cursed, according to Amisial. That’s when he decided to rescue him.
“Without hesitation, I picked him up,” Amisial said, “and I went to my mom’s house with him.”
Since then, Amisial has worked to gain custody of Emilio, who currently resides with Amisial’s mom in Gonaives, Haiti.
Amisial called the police soon after he found the baby, he said, and an investigation was launched — but Emilio’s parents were never found. The next day, the police arrived at his mother’s house with a judge who asked Amisial if he wanted to be Emilio’s legal guardian, which he later accepted.
However, the decision to take on the role of a parent wasn’t an easy one to make. Amisial said he tossed and turned the night before signing papers to become Emilio’s legal guardian.
“I’ve always wanted to be part of something great,” Amisial said. “To me, that was the moment and I took a leap of faith by saying, ‘Yes, I’m going to be there for him.’”
After signing legal documents in January 2018 to start the process of becoming Emilio’s guardian, Amisial set out to raise money to adopt him. The cost of adoption is estimated to be $30,000, but it can vary, a representative from America World Adoption told NBC News. Amisial then created a GoFundMe page last month that has since raised over $135,000.
“People have been showing a lot of love and support, which I’m really grateful for,” he said.
Amisial, who is majoring in mass communications and has dreams of one day having his own television show, had to take a break from school to care for Emilio, who is almost 5 years old and calls Amisial his dad. He said he intends on using the extra money acquired through his GoFundMe page to continue his education while helping build Emilio’s future. He also plans on donating portions of the money to orphanages throughout Haiti.
Once the adoption process for Emilio is complete, Amisial said he wants to move both Emilio and his mother to the U.S. for a better life. He said he video chats with them frequently through WhatsApp, but fears for their safety now that Emilio’s story has gone viral. He’s also concerned about the crime and violence in Haiti, which he said has only become worse following the assassination of Haiti’s president Jovenel Moïse last year.
As Amisial patiently waits for news of his guardianship request, which was delayed because of the pandemic, and can take up to two years according to the U.S. Embassy in Haiti website, to be approved, the college student said he is happy he had the chance to change his son’s dire circumstances.
“If you want to be great in life, you have to face your challenges, Amisial said, “and it’s the best decision ever.”
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
