A Texas State University student has fundraised over $70,000 as he seeks to pay adoption fees for a now-five-year-old Haitian boy he found in a pile of trash, The Grio reports.
College student Jimmy Amisial was visiting his family in their native country of Haiti when he first saw a boy, then a three-month-old baby, lying on top of a garage pile and covered with ants.
“I was looking at the precious living soul, just crying, and my heart dropped to my throat,” Amisial, 22 at the time, told The Houston Chronicle.
Amisial rescued the abandoned baby and reported the incident to the police, who then informed him of the option to become the young boy's guardian.
After considering the monumental decision, Amisial committed to caring for the child and named him Emilio Angel Jeremiah.
Five years after rescuing him, Amisial hopes to officially adopt Emilio and bring him to the U.S. The five-year-old boy currently lives in Haiti with Amisial’s mother, so the two have stayed in communication via WhatsApp.
“He’s so fun to be around,” Amisial said of Emilio. “I really miss him and I can’t wait to see him. Whenever I get the chance to go back [to Haiti], I will.”
A GoFundMe fundraiser started by Amisial to complete the adoption exceeded its original goal of $60,000. The additional funds, Amisial said, will go towards Emilio's schooling, his own education, and a Haitian orphanage.
“I would like for me to be able to show him [Emilio] love and be financially stable, finish school and be able to take care of him and show him how to be great, show him love, how to be kind to people,” Amisial said.
On the GoFundMe page, Amisial wrote about his newfound role as a guardian.
“It hasn’t been easy, but it’s a blessing. One thing I know is that you can never go wrong when you choose love. It was those divine moments and interventions to show love, clarity and show the world that we can do better,“ he said.
“I’m glad that I get the opportunity to transform his life from being abandoned in the TRASH to a wonderful TREASURE.”
Get the latest news 24/7 on The Black Information Network. Listen now on the iHeartRadio app or click HERE to tune in live.