This world has become a cruel place, particularly for people with disabilities who struggle to fit in with society’s norms. These people yearn for a place in the sky and hope to be accepted, but all they get are stares and mean comments. Rustam is a young boy who was born with deformities from his parents. He was placed for adoption, but as we all know, not everyone is willing to open their hearts and homes to children like him.
Fortunately, Rustam was discovered by a woman named Nika Zlobina, who was preparing adoption documents when she came across his photo and life story. She then set out to find a loving home for Rustam, but she ended up adopting him along the way. “I was preparing paperwork for an adoption and there was a database with photos of children,” Nika explained. The first thing this woman did for this special boy was to set up an Instagram account for all children looking for a family, including him.
She included a video of Rustam dancing, which drew a lot of attention. However, while many people had positive things to say about Rustam, there were also those who had negative things to say about him. “Some claim that this ‘freak’ will never be adopted. “I was terrified by how many people left negative comments, many of whom were young mothers with children,” Nika explained.
Nika’s greatest wish was to dispel the myth that disabled children are not the best candidates for adoption. Nika hoped that by sharing Rustam’s daily routines, his many smiles, and the way he showed happiness when around the right people, people would understand that these children deserve to be cared for. “Everyone mostly wants blond beautiful babies to adopt, and there’s a long line for such children; in the meantime, others suffer without parents,” Nika wrote.
That’s when Nika decided to adopt Rustam herself. She and her husband were overjoyed to become parents to this adorable boy who exuded joy wherever he went. Nika wrote that her adoption served as an inspiration to others who were considering adopting a child in this manner. “One woman wrote that she was afraid to go out with her Down’s Syndrome daughter, but that my posts gave her courage, and she now does not hesitate to go for walks with her daughter,” Nika wrote.
Of course, there are always stares and comments from strangers, but Nika and her husband do everything they can to protect their son and teach the world that being different is not a bad thing. Indeed, it is the differences that keep the world turning. Rustam is now nine years old and living the best life he can.