New Mom Abandons Her Baby with Down Syndrome – A Priest Finds Out about It

Every child deserves to grow up in a conducive environment with loving parents and a supportive family. Unfortunately, many kids experience the gut-wrenching pain of abandonment early on. The same was true for the child in today's story until fate's unexpected intervention changed everything.

Omar Sánchez Portillo was an extraordinary human in many ways. He was a priest and dedicated himself to God and the service of humanity. Rain or shine, he never wavered in his responsibilities and extracted joy from helping others feel better.

Father Portillo was the director of an institution called the Association of the Beatitudes, which provided shelter to children, adults, and older people. Besides carrying out his religious duties at the seminary, the priest loved caring for the abandoned, orphaned, and homeless.

Helping Others

In 2017, the shelter opened its doors to almost 60 people, and in 2018, it was home to nearly 217 individuals and 80 volunteers. Anyone who wished to join the charity as a worker or share food, clothes, money, or other necessities could contact the priest and his team.

When the infant boy's story reached Father Portillo, something tugged at his heartstrings, and he knew he had to do something.

Uplifting the Sick, Abandoned & Homeless

Per Fr. Portillo, his institution at least 98% of the people he had sheltered had a physical or psychological ailment or were differently abled. He also welcomed youngsters with various disabilities, including Down syndrome and autism.

The priest and his charity workers often found people abandoned and alone on the streets or living in extreme poverty. Fr. Portillo had rescued folks from garbage dumps, struggling not only with their illnesses but also to make ends meet.

Through his work as a servant of God's church, Father Portillo learned the importance of loving those around him through his work as a servant of God's church. He was particularly inspired by Mother Teresa of Calcutta, who always advocated for children, adolescents, and the elderly and led a life of love and service.

A Fateful Encounter

As someone dedicated to serving the vulnerable, lost, and abandoned, Fr. Portillo never turned his back on anybody. This sentiment made him cross paths with an innocent soul, changing his life for the better.

It was the summer of 2018, and the Catholic priest was busy with his work, as always. Little did he know that his path would soon intertwine with someone else's, making his life's journey all the more worthwhile.

Bringing the Little One Home

On his 51st birthday in May of that year, Father Portillo came across a child. Ismael was a two-month-old baby with nowhere to go and no place to call home. He had Down syndrome and his parents were not in the picture.

Little Ismael had suffered abandonment at the hands of his 17-year-old mother, who suffered from schizophrenia and alcoholism. Despite his birth serving as a beacon of hope and new beginnings, nobody stepped up to take him in due to his condition.

Left alone by his mom and with nobody to care for him, a miserable and hopeless life awaited him. When the infant boy's story reached Father Portillo, something tugged at his heartstrings, and he knew he had to do something.

An Extraordinary Gift

Without hesitation, Fr. Portillo welcomed the boy into his shelter. Having studied law at the University of Lima, he resided in Lurin, Lima, Peru, but he traveled to Cusco to bring Ismael home.

When he held Ismael in his arms, he felt profound joy and relief and knew he had made the right decision. In Fr. Portillo's words:

"[Ismael] arrived on a very special day, on my birthday (May 5), as a special gift from God in my priestly life, as a spiritual father, as a human being. It is a very particular gift from God."

A Chromosome of Love

In a heartwarming Facebook post from May 8, 2018, Father Portillo shared his immense gratitude for meeting Ismael. The Peruvian priest attached a picture of himself holding the adorable boy alongside a touching caption:

Thank you for the gift you have given me, Jesus for my birthday!!! You never cease to surprise me My Jesus ♥️♥️♥️ Welcome Ismael!!! Bringing you from Cusco has been quite an adventure, the first of many that we will live together!!! Chromosome of love 😇 Down syndrome (sic)."

In addition to welcoming Ismael into his foundation, Father Portillo took another step forward and adopted the boy. Although it wasn't the Peruvian clergyman's only act of kindness, opening his heart and home to Ismael filled his life with infinite love and joy.

Most importantly, little Ismael finally had someone to call his dad and enjoy a life he rightly deserved. This lovely father-son duo's story shows that through love, anything is possible, and even the most heart-shattering situations can be overturned.

Click here to read about parents who abandoned their newborn for having Down syndrome, after which a nurse gave him a mother's love.