A husband was immediately given a tough ultimatum by his wife after she had just given birth to their son, Leo.
“This pediatrician walks out of the room with a little bundle — that was Leo,” Forrest told ABC News. “She had his face covered up and hospital authorities wouldn’t let me see him or my wife. When the doctor came out, he said ‘there’s a real problem with your son.'”
Doctors pulled Samuel Forrest aside to discuss an issue they had found with his newborn son. As he followed the doctor into another room where he was able to meet his son for the first time, he was given the heartrending news.
“When I walked into the room they all turned to me and said ‘Leo has Down syndrome,” he said. “I had a few moments of shock.”
But as he held his son, he knew he would love him, regardless of any medical condition. Global News has more on the story:
Unfortunately, this was not the end of the bad news for Samuel, as he found out when he returned to his wife’s side in the hospital room. That’s when she gave him an ultimatum: either they would agree to give up the baby, or she would leave him. According to ABC News:
“Despite his wife’s warnings, Forrest said he never had a doubt in his mind that he would hold onto his son.
One week after his birth, Leo’s mom filed for divorce.
“It’s not what I want,” Forrest said. “I didn’t even have a chance to speak with her in privately about it.”
Since his wife filed for the divorce, Samuel Forrest has made plans to move back to his home country, New Zealand. But he knew that it wasn’t going to easy to raise his son on his own.
That’s when he set up a GoFundMe page to enlist some help.
In a short period of time, something amazing happened. Samuel has reached the GoFundMe goal — several times over. So far, $360,000 has been donated.
“This really came out of the blue for me,” he said. “I don’t have a lot, I have very little in fact. The goal is to raise enough for a year so I can get a part-time job so Leo doesn’t have to be in daycare and I can help care for him. He’s lost a lot in two weeks. It’d be different if he had his mommy.”
Forrest has also partnered with several disability groups to help him through this difficult time. They’re teaching him what he needs to know on raising a child with special needs, so hopefully his infant son can thrive for many years to come.
Editor’s Note: This article was edited for content after publication.
The post It Was a Moment of Joy. But Just Minutes After His Son’s Birth, One Man’s Wife Gave Him an Ultimatum. appeared first on Independent Journal.