People kept telling Jerry Wendell, a gay man, that he would never have children. He never imagined being a father, but one day everything in his life changed. His experience as a father sounds like a true story that demonstrates how a decent heart can triumph in any circumstance.
Everything began with a magazine article.
Sincere parental love can do wonders, dispelling all social preconceptions and stereotypes, in our opinion. We invite you to immerse yourself in the tale of a kind-hearted but lonely guy who fostered an Olympic champion who was born an abandoned orphan.
Gay single man Gerry Wendell has longed to start a family ever since he can remember. He struggled to adopt in the US until one day he came upon an article in a magazine that discussed the plight of Cambodian orphans. He didn’t think twice to get in touch with the Cambodian authorities and immediately learned information that would change his life.
Jordan was living in an orphanage in Phnom Penh, Cambodia in June 2000 after his parents passed away. Gerry hurried there. The child had terrible illnesses, scabies, and malnutrition. Gerry brought him back to Florida, fixed his health, and adopted him right away.
The closest bond has always been between a father and son.
The new family had numerous challenges right away.
Together, the new family encountered numerous challenges upon returning to the USA. Jordan had a number of health issues, was weak and fatigued, and before he learned English, he used sign language to talk to Gerry.
Jordan was barely 16 kg at the time and was only 2 years old. His father was unsure of his prognosis for survival. But he pledged that he would use every effort to prevent further suffering for his new kid. He already had such unwavering love within of him that it could overcome anything.
A fantastic Olympic career happened by chance.
Jordan started to pursue his Olympic goals at the age of seven. At diving camp, Tim O’Brien, the son of renowned diving instructor Ron O’Brien, noticed him. After that, Jordan joined a specialized diving program and started to experience his first triumphs.
He first met LGBT activist and Olympic gold medalist Greg Louganis around this time. In fact, he even called himself «Betty Louganis.»
The closest bond has always been between a father and son.
In a children’s book they co-wrote in 2011, dad and son relate their tale. The account of a rooster who was informed by other animals that he could not be a father without a hen is told in the book No More Orphan: The Boy’s True Story. One day he discovered an egg that was unclaimed. What a swindler the duck is, yet in spite of their dissimilar personalities, these two will demonstrate the adage «where there is love, there is family.»
What other instances of therapeutic parental love do you personally or in your family know about?