After being abandoned at the hospital by his own parents, a 13-year-old boy finally found his forever home.
On November 12, 2019, Tony Mutabazi was formally adopted by his foster dad, Peter Mutabazi, but even before their union was official, Tony was already calling him his “dad.”
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Tony had been in the foster care system since the age of 2, and when he was 4, he was adopted by a couple in Oklahoma.
However, when he was 11, his parents inexplicably left him at a hospital and never returned, nor did they ever offer an explanation.
“We asked if his parents were coming to get him and they said no,” Peter told Good Morning America . “[We have] no idea why.”
Shortly after, Peter received a phone call from foster care worker Jessica Ward asking if he could take Tony for the weekend.
At that time in his life, Peter was already an experienced foster parent and he was only meant to keep Tony at his place for those two days.
But that was before he learned just what this poor teen had been through.
“By that time, I was crying,” he recalled. “I thought, ‘Who would do that?’ Once I knew the parents’ rights were signed off and he had nowhere to go, I [knew] I had to take him.”
Since then, the pair have been absolutely inseparable.
Peter, who grew up in Uganda, had a personal connection to Tony’s story after running away from an abusive home at the age of 10.
Although he eventually found a parent figure who helped him finish school, life certainly wasn’t easy.
“They became my sponsor, my family,” Peter explained. “I grew up the poor of the poorest people on the planet. I grew up where no one told me to dream, that there was no future for me.”
Eventually, Peter found his way to North Carolina where he began working with World Vision.
For three years, he devoted all his time and energy to fostering 12 children. But when he met Tony, he knew he was ready to officially become a father.
“I had the room, the resources, so I had no reason to let him go,” Peter said. “For what someone did for me, I wanted to do something for someone else.”
Tony’s adoption was finalized when he and Peter made the move from Oklahoma to North Carolina together.
“I was chosen, I was wanted, I was cherished,” Peter wrote in an Instagram post. “I grew in his heart, I was the missing piece and I’m loved today despite […] my shortcoming.”
Just a few days after the pair officially became a family, Peter also became an American citizen.
“I’m proud, thankful, grateful, and hopeful,” he wrote in an Instagram post . “A dad and a U.S. citizen in just two weeks can’t describe in words the joy in my heart and house after a long journey.”
Peter told GMO that he and his son, Tony, enjoy watching movies, playing board games, reading books, and taking bike rides together.
As for what the future holds, he revealed that the pair are looking forward to welcoming a new foster child into their home at some point.
If you’re interested in keeping up with Tony and Peter, check out Peter’s Instagram account, @fosterdadflipper .
h/t: Good Morning America
