Gay Couple Adopts Baby Girl after She Was Rejected by 10 Families

After tying the knot, a gay couple wished to expand their family and decided to opt for adoption. However, they had to wait three years to receive the call that changed their lives forever.

Familial connections need not be forged in blood only. Having a family can also translate to the unwavering support and affection of a loved one. In short, love is a strong determinant that can bind people together for the rest of their lives.

Through the years, adoption has emerged as a powerful phenomenon, showing the world that the family we choose may be just as beautiful as the one we're born into. The story we're sharing today embodies a similar theme.

A LIFE-CHANGING PHONE CALL

Damian Pighin and Ariel Vijarra were an extraordinary couple in many ways. They were the first gay couple to get married in the north-eastern Argentine province of Santa Fe, but that wasn't the only thing that made them unique.

Pighin, 42, and Vijarra, 39, yearned to embrace parenthood and grow their family. In 2011, the couple mutually agreed to opt for adoption but didn't know they'd have to wait a long time before welcoming a child into their lives.

Finally, after a wait of almost three years, the married couple from Rosario received a call in 2014 about a newborn baby who was ready to be adopted. The baby girl was born HIV-positive and was 28 days old when Pighin and Vijarra received the call.

WELCOMING OLIVIA

They also discovered that ten families had previously rejected the child because of her HIV status. However, that didn't prevent them from welcoming her into their hearts and home.

The couple shared that they felt an instant connection with the baby girl and knew she was meant to be a part of their family. They named her "Olivia," and Vijarra described that he felt she was an inseparable part of his life when he saw her.

BECOMING A FAMILY OF FOUR

The doting father further mentioned that when he and Pighin held Olivia and gave her the milk bottle, her innocent gaze locked with theirs, resulting in an immediate connection. Baby Olivia didn't cry because she knew she was finally home.

The Santa Fe couple also ensured Olivia received her HIV treatment. Over time, the little angel started responding well to her treatment and even gained weight.

A few years ago, the devoted dads received the delightful news that the virus was no longer detectable in Olivia. Pighin and Vijarra then took in another girl in 2015 from a woman who heard their story and was so moved that she asked them to adopt her child.

CRADLE FAMILIES

The couple named their second adoptive daughter "Victoria." Olivia and Victoria were similar in age, with a few months difference. Olivia celebrated her fifth birthday in October 2019, while Victoria turned five in February 2020.

Pighin and Vijarra worked for a non-governmental organization, Acunar Familias, translated to "Cradle Families," helping families adopt unwanted kids. They were also the first same-sex couple in their province to adopt a child.

While there's currently no known cure for HIV, its spread can be controlled through treatment to the point that it becomes almost undetectable in the blood.

A PHENOMENAL FAMILY

When the virus becomes undetectable, the person affected with HIV is no more infectious, and the virus is no longer able to damage their immunity.

We hope advancements in medicine and science can promise a possible cure for all incurable diseases, including HIV.

We're glad Olivia found a forever home with two loving dads and an adorable sister, and we hope this family continues to inspire the world with their light and positivity.

Please share this heartwarming story with your loved ones, so more people can choose adoption and change a child's life.

Here's another story that mirrors this one, and it's about a single gay man who adopted a girl with Down syndrome after she was rejected by 20 families. You can read the complete story here.