Man Refuses To Give Up Son With Down Syndrome And Ends Up Getting Divorced

Having a child is usually a joyous time in someone's life, but for Samuel Forrest, things happened a little differently. According to wcvb.com, Sam Forrest, who is originally from New Zealand but lived in Armenia with his wife, was so excited when his baby boy was born. But when the doctors brought Sam into a side room, they told him that his son had down syndrome.

I looked at this guy and I said, he's beautiful, he's perfect and I'm absolutely keeping him.

A little shocked but not phased by the news, Sam held his son for the first time and named him Leo. "They took me in (to) see him and I looked at this guy and I said, he's beautiful, he's perfect and I'm absolutely keeping him."

His wife had a different reaction.

When Sam walked back into the doctor's office, his wife gave him the ultimatum right there saying that if they didn't give Leo up, she would file for divorce.

In Armenia, children with Down Syndrome and other types of genetic disorders are put into orphanages the majority of the time. "What happens when a baby like this is born here, they will tell you that you don't have to keep them," said Sam. "My wife had already decided, so all of this was done behind my back."

He, of course, decided to keep Leo and a week later, his wife did indeed, file for divorce. Since he isn't welcomed in the family anymore, Sam has decided to move back to his native land of Auckland, New Zealand.

He even set up a GoFundMe account called Bring Leo Home. "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 day care and I can help care for him. He's lost a lot in two weeks. It'd be different if he had his mommy."

The GoFundMe account, which was made only 10 days ago and had a goal set to $60,000, has now reached over $290,000 (at the time this article was written) and rapidly growing.

Sam has recently made a statement of how grateful he is for all the donations and will be using all the money to create a better life in New Zealand. His goal is to use it towards a good home and education for Leo. Any money that is left over will go straight to the Armenian orphanage that brings in children with Down Syndrome and other facilities and programs that need funding.