Woman Demands Husband Give Up Their Child With Down Syndrome, Or She Will Divorce Him

A month ago, Samuel Forrest was happily married to Ruzan Badalyan in Armenia, and expecting their first child. But, on January 21, 2015 everything was about to change.

“This pediatrician walks out of the room with a little bundle — that was Leo,” Samuel 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.’ That’s when the doctor told him that Leo had Down Syndrome. 

“It took me about six hours to firstly find out what was wrong and then get the chance to see and hold my baby boy,” Samuel recalls, in an emotional Skype interview by Kidspot.

Being from New Zealand, Samuel was unaware of Armenia’s hospital practices, “What happens when a baby like this is born here, they will tell you that you don’t have to keep them,” said Samuel. That’s when the doctor explained that Samuel had 10 days to decide if he would keep the baby or send him to the orphanage.

In Armenia, this diagnosis can “bring great shame” to a family. “But once I held him in my arms, I fell in love with him. There was never any way my son would be put in an orphanage. I said to the doctors that he was absolutely beautiful, of course I was going to keep him, Samuel stated.

But, when he carried baby Leo to see his mother, Samuel would get receive another blow. Ruzan immediately confronted him with an ultimatum, offering that he agree with her decision to give up their child or they would get a divorce.

“My wife had already decided, so all of this was done behind my back”, said Samuel.

“I love my wife, he told Kidspot, she’s amazing and we were happy but I couldn’t do what she wanted and abandon our son. I couldn’t do that, ever. But it’s just the way the culture works here.” 

Samuel also noted in the interview that it was the first time the hospital had seen a father agree to take home a child with Down Syndrome.

Within one week of accepting baby Leo in his arms, Samuel Forrest’s wife delivered on her promise and filed for divorce.

“It’s not what I want,” Samuel continued with a quivering voice, “I didn’t even have a chance to speak with her in privately about it.”

Samuel, who works as a freelance business contractor, plans to move to his native country of New Zealand where baby Leo can receive support from loved ones.

Meanwhile, the crowd funding “Bring Leo Home” site has proven to add much needed financial support for Leo and other abandoned children in Armenia. At the moment this piece is being edited, the funds have already exceeded expectations, raising a generous $307,748 and is rapidly climing.

Bring Leo Home/GoFundMe Campaign  added this update 12 hours ago:

Thanks everyone – we are stunned beyond words at the incredible support & love you’ve shown for little Leo.
9 days after we started our campaign, Leo and I found out in the wee hours of morning that we had crossed our target! He is a lucky guy to have the support of thousands of friends like you around the world.

Some of the additional funds that we have raised will be used to secure better living conditions in Auckland, and to give Leo higher quality opportunities when it comes to education – a good home and school cost money, but Leo will have all that and more, thanks to you.

We will use some of the money you’ve given to fund facilities and programs here in Armenia that will support future parents to keep their kids despite all disabilities, and to help better care for the special ones who end up away from their Mom & Dad. We’d also like to share the surplus funds with the only orphanage in Armenia that regularly takes abandoned Down Syndrome babies as well as other organisations that can help these children – thanks to your support we can start to make a difference already

Thanks again for your care and generosity!

 

According to ABC NEWS, they were unable to reach the hospital for comment. They did state that the mother did have a child with Down syndrome and she has left her husband, who has the child, but she declined to elaborate.