Dying dad feared for his wife—what their adopted son found as a baby 44 years ago told him melted hearts online
When an ailing father worried about who would protect his wife after he was gone, his fears were gently eased by an unexpected reassurance from the son she had adopted 44 years ago. This is the poignant story of a three-day-old baby left on a doorstep in 1977, who grew up to become the family’s greatest blessing.
David Decoud's story dates back to January 6, 1977, when Edith Decoud opened her door to find a baby wrapped in clothes and a blanket. For any other person who comes into a situation like this, it would be a challenge to make up their mind. But for Edith, she did not hesitate to welcome the baby into her life. She soon found out that the toddler was only 3 days old. Edith was married and living with her son in Paraguay when David came into their world. After being told by the doctor about the baby only being 3 days old, they decided to celebrate their new son's birthday on January 3, every year.
David spent his childhood in the neighborhood of Villa Morra in Asunción, with his older brother and loving parents in a home filled with warmth and security. But, as he grew older, the innocence began to fade when other children from his school bullied him for looking different from his parents. David, who was Black, was confused about his appearance and began asking questions. Whenever he confronted his mother, she would gently brush him off saying she had chosen him at a hospital, as she did not wish to burden him with the painful truth of his birth story. It wasn’t until he turned 12 that, during a family barbecue, David finally learned the complete truth. Despite the initial anger towards his biological parents, his love and respect for his parents only deepened, knowing how selflessly they had brought him up and raised him as their own.
Forty-four years later, David is a successful sound engineer who deeply cares for his mother following his father’s passing. Recalling his father's fear during his last days, David revealed that his father was concerned about leaving his mother, Edith, alone, but he entrusted David with taking care of his mother. “I always tell her how much I love her, and how much I appreciate that she took a risk for me,” he shared with Extra. The 44-year-old added, “I am what I am thanks to my father and mother, who were my angels on earth.” In a study authored by Harold D. Grotevant in 2019 for the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, the researcher found that children adopted between the ages of 4 and 8 often show initial insecurity in attachment, but this tends to decrease over time. By adolescence, many of these children develop significantly more secure attachment relationships with their adoptive parents, especially when parents are responsive, supportive, and open in their communication and emotional connection.
More on Amplify
A poor couple adopted him when he was just 3 months old. Then he fulfilled their dream