However, when the little boy’s father, Samuel Forrest, first saw his son, despite experiencing a “few moments of shock”, he instantly fell in love with him. Talking to ABC News, Samuel said: “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.”
A week later, Samuel’s wife filed for divorce and told him that he was no longer welcome in her family home.
The father, who plans to return to his hometown of New Zealand, has since set up an online fundraiser to help support himself and his son.
On his GoFundMe page, Samuel states that they will use the money 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 and Dad."
According to the fundraising page, Armenia’s society doesn’t accept babies with “defects” and feel they bring "shame on the family involved.”
Samuel originally had a of $60,000 but in ten days The Bring Leo Home campaign has raised over $269,000.
