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Take one look at Luca Trapanese and you'll see a doting dad who loves his daughter, Alba. And once you learn the extraordinary circumstances that led them to one another, it makes a strong case for the idea of fate.
Trapanese, a gay man living in Naples, Italy, had wanted to have a family for years. But when he and his long-term partner broke up, Trapanese’s dream seemed like it would never come true. Then Alba came into his life. In 2017, Trapanese got a call from an adoption agency to tell him that he had been matched with a newborn girl who has Down Syndrome. She had been rejected by 20 other families, but not Trapanese—he fell in love with Alba. “When I first held her in my arms, I was overcome with joy,” he recalled. “I felt she was my daughter straight away.”
Trapanese’s adoption of Alba was no small feat as Italy’s policies are the strictest in Europe. Surrogacy is illegal and gay parents cannot be listed as co-parents on birth certificates. Even single parents are considered for adoption on a case-by-case basis. “I was told that I’d only be given a child with an illness, a severe disability, or with behavioral problems,” he explained. “I was absolutely OK with that.”
It’s as if Trapanese was living his life waiting for Alba. After losing his best friend to cancer when he was 14, he began volunteering to help critically ill people and children living with disabilities. Eventually, he co-founded A Ruota Libera Onlus, a charity that offers adults with disabilities the opportunity to socialize, hone their talents, and be part of a community.
Scroll down for some of our favorite daddy-daughter moments, and follow Trapanese on Instagram to see what he and Alba are up to next.
Alba is a little girl who was born with Down Syndrome. After being rejected by 20 families, she found her forever family with her new dad Luca Trapanese, who adopted her when she was less than a month old.
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The doting dad was seen as an unlikely candidate as a single gay man. Italy, where they live, has the strictest adoption policies in Europe.
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Luckily, these two found each other and their unconditional love is undeniable.
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Luca Trapanese: Website | Instagram
h/t: [Bored Panda]
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