Luca Trapanese is a 42 year-old single father to a 2 year-old girl named Alba. The two met when Alba was just a few days old, as she had been put up for adoption because of the fact that she has Down syndrome. By then, over 20 families had rejected Alba because of her condition, and Luca knew he needed to step in to help her.
Ever since he was 14, Luca has worked with various social service organizations, including “A Ruota Libera” Foundation, which provides assistance to children with Down syndrome. On top of that, Luca had always wanted to be a father.
“I wanted to become a father, to sow my knowledge, my love, my affection in another creature. Currently I have forgotten that Alba has been adopted and for me it is not a foreign body,” Luca said.
“A disabled child is not a second choice, but a conscious choice with respect to my vocation and my abilities,” Luca continued. “I was not afraid of adopting a disabled child. It was an idea I had in the past years with my partner Eduardo, but then we separated. Since I was 14, I volunteered and worked with people with disabilities so I thought I had the right tools to do it, after the separation with my partner it was the option that prevailed for me. So I made a request in the special register that allows singles to adopt in special conditions.”
However, adopting a child was not simple for Luca because adoption agencies usually prefer “traditional families” over adopters that don’t fit the conventional two-parent heterosexual relationship mold. Luca’s case had a huge impact on his home nation of Italy, where adoptions by gay couples are not allowed, and adoptions by single parents were very complicated until recently.
“I still wanted to be a dad (after separating from my partner), but in Italy, single parents still couldn’t adopt,” Luca said. “Then things changed and at the beginning of 2017, I could offer to adopt children. They told me that they would only give me children with illnesses, severe disabilities or behavioral problems, a child who had been rejected by all traditional families.”
Luca was totally overjoyed.
“I completely agreed. Thanks to my personal experience, I knew I had the resources to deal with the problems the child had,” Luca said. “In July 2017 they called me and told me they had a girl for me, her name was Alba and she was 13 days old. She had Down syndrome. The mother had abandoned her at birth and had been rejected by more than 20 families. I struggled to contain my joy. I said yes immediately.”
As soon as they met, Luca knew Alba was meant to be his daughter.
“When I held her in my arms, I was filled with joy. I felt that she was my daughter immediately. I knew I was ready to be her father,” he said.
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Now nearly 2 years-old, Alba is a toddler who is full of life.
“She has a very strong personality and can be very stubborn at times. She likes to play and dance all day,” Luca said. “She loves being with other people, so I take her to walk to the park, to museums or to work with me, which she loves.”
Luca has since told his story in a book, “Nata Per Te (Born for You),“ which was published last year.
“Now I see a future for myself: I will spend the rest of my life with a girl I love and we will do many wonderful things together,” Luca said.
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