This single father took in a troubled child, and together they raised a child who would go on to win an Olympic gold medal.
An unmarried gay man who adopted a sick child from Cambodia and helped him grow up to become an Olympic champion has been praised as a “inspiration” for his actions.
According to TODAY, Jerry Windle never imagined he’d become a parent since many told him that he couldn’t become a father as a gay man. Nevertheless, he has been able to enjoy the privilege of watching his adopted son compete in the Olympics in Tokyo this summer.
He became aware of the prospect of adopting a child and fulfilling the role of a parent by doing so after reading an article on the subject in a publication that is distributed locally. Jerry was given the option by reading the article to investigate the possibility of adopting a child from Cambodia, where it was not stated that the infant lacked a mother and therefore might be adopted by anyone.
Jerry expressed his thoughts by saying the following to TODAY: “After that, the story went on to discuss the close bond that existed between the father and his son, and as it did, I felt like something clicked in my head… The article included (the number of a service that facilitates adoption), and so I called the number and asked, “I just read an article; is it feasible for a single person to adopt a child?,” to which the response was “Yes, it is possible.”
A couple of months later, he found himself in an orphanage in Cambodia, where he was tasked with taking care of a sick boy named Jordan. The orphanage was located in Cambodia. During that time period, Jordan was afflicted with severe illnesses, including malnutrition and scabies.
Despite the fact that, at the time, he had no idea whether or not his baby would survive, the overjoyed adoptive parent shared that he fell in love with his kid “at first sight.” He said this despite the fact that he did not know whether or not his baby would survive.
On the other hand, he made a solemn promise to the young child that he would do everything in his power to ensure that the child would never have to experience pain again, and that he would make every effort to ensure that the child’s life was as fulfilling as it possibly could be.
Unfortunately for Jerry, he was unable to make it to the Olympic trials in order to show his support for his son Jordan, who competed in the diving competition and ultimately finished in second place, earning him a spot on the United States diving team. Jordan went on to compete in the diving competition and earn a spot on the team. Due to circumstances beyond his control, Jerry was unable to attend.
On the other hand, people are now hailing Jerry as a hero as well, and he is receiving plaudits all over social media because of the story he shared.
Congratulations, from one adoptive parent to another!!,” tweeted one user of the social media platform Twitter. It sounds like a mind-boggling adventure to me. You may not have altered the course of history, but you have significantly impacted the life of a child.
A third person chimed in with their observation, “This is such a sweet and heartwarming story. Congratulations, not only on the fact that your country won the Olympics and that you are so proud of it, but also on the fact that the two of you found one other and developed a love that you will always have for each other. They serve as a model for others to follow.”
Jerry shared the information that Jordan began diving when he was just seven years old. Jerry explained that this was the initial step on Jordan’s route to the Olympics.
After that, when he was 16 years old, he was invited to take part in a diving exhibition that was created in Cambodia with the purpose of serving as a source of motivation for the young of the country. The exhibition was held in the capital city of Phnom Penh.
“There was a deluge of coverage in the media… We weren’t ready for it, and we had no idea how known Jordan was to people in Cambodia because to the internet, so that made things even more difficult for us… Jerry went on to explain that, “He’s kind of like a national hero in Cambodia,” after the previous statement.