It’s hard to think about a mother unexpectedly leaving a baby in someone else’s care and just never returning.
But that’s what happened one day in Brazil when Moisés Costa’s girlfriend showed up at his door with a baby in her arms. Little did he know then that he was about to start the journey of a lifetime.
The Surprising Visit One Man Got From His Girlfriend
This story starts about 25 years ago when Costa answered the door to find his girlfriend standing there with a baby.
When she was five months pregnant, she had told Costa about the baby, then disappeared. He never quite believed her that it was his. Still, he let her inside, and they chatted for a while before she asked him if he could watch the baby, Davyd, while she grabbed groceries.
She never returned.
“My mother insisted that she not leave him, but she didn't come back,” Costa told Metropoles.
At that point, Costa decided to do a DNA test, which confirmed his suspicions. He wasn’t the father, so he was faced with two choices: keep a baby that wasn’t his and raise it, or turn it over to the authorities without knowing what kind of life the infant would have. He chose the first option.
Why One Man Decided to Raise a Newborn Baby as His Own
As Costa, who is now 52 years old, took care of Davyd, things took a turn for the worse. The baby became sick and needed to be taken to the hospital, but he wasn’t registered. Costa didn’t know what to do.
“Due to having many seizures and fainting, the boy needed medical attention, but for that, civil registration was necessary,” he explained. “My mom and stepdad registered Davyd to save his life.”
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One hospital visit wasn’t enough to solve the problem, however, and the family was told they needed to put the child through a series of tests. They found a serious brain injury. The boy was also eventually diagnosed with cerebral palsy, epilepsy, and permanent atrophy of the limbs.
Still, Costa was in it. Davyd’s biological mother had visited a few times when he was younger, but Costa could tell she had no interest in taking her son back or helping. But he had enough love for both of them.
“He is my son at heart. We are brothers in the document, but he is my son and my best friend; I do everything to take care of him,” Costa said.
The Search for the Biological Father
Despite all the love Costa and his parents have given Davyd, it hasn’t helped with the mounting medical bills. In addition to his other disabilities, Davyd cannot speak, and he cannot be left alone.
That makes it hard for Costa and his 72-year-old mother to care for him. Plus, now that Davyd is getting older, Costa wants to ensure his foster son will be taken care of when he’s older.
So, Costa reached out to the authorities and then the media to spread this story and find the child’s biological father or other family members who may be interested in meeting Davyd.
“Davyd is the love of my life, I'm not going to hand him over to anyone," Costa said. “But we need help, things are not easy. I work on a shift basis, so I'm with him on all my days off. My mother can no longer carry him, the physical demand is very demanding. What we need is help to divide the responsibilities,” he continued.
“If my mother and I are absent, Davyd is alone in the world. I don't want them to take him away from me, we'll continue to take care of him, but I want to be calm in knowing that if we're absent, he'll have someone else to take care of him.”
How a Community Came Together to Help
Currently, this case is under investigation by the civil police as the family and Davyd’s biological mother (who now lives in Spain) try to come to an agreement on care.
However, as the story gained traction in Brazil earlier this year, the group Reasons to Believe contacted Costa. Organizers offered to create an online crowdfunding platform to raise funds for Davyd’s treatments, as well as to help hire proper caregivers for the boy.
It didn’t take long for the page to reach its BRL 52,000 goal, finally taking some of the financial and mental burdens off of Costa and the family. While the money doesn’t cover all of Davyd’s needs, just knowing there are kind people out there who care enough to help is heartwarming.
There Are Many Ways to Be a Parent
There are no rule books regarding being a parent other than knowing you should try and show up for your kid.
We don’t know the backstory of this mother and what her mental health, financial, or personal situation is, so it’s best to reserve judgment. Especially since she hasn’t really told her side of the story.
What we do know is this story proves there are many ways to be a parent. A child doesn’t necessarily have to be your biological kid for you to love it like your own. Sometimes the world works in mysterious ways, and parenthood doesn’t come in the form you thought it would.
With so many people in the world who would love the opportunity to be a mother or a father, the story of Davyd and his foster father is a nice reminder of that.
