I Adopted a Girl with Down Syndrome
A Grandmother’s Leap of Love Creates a Lasting Legacy
At seventy-three, a widowed woman’s quiet life changed when she learned of Clara,
an abandoned newborn with Down syndrome.
Despite doubts from her sons and neighbors, she adopted her,
finding renewed purpose and replacing grief with love.
Soon after, lawyers revealed Clara’s biological parents —
wealthy tech founders — had died in a fire, leaving her a vast inheritance.
Offered a mansion and staff, the grandmother declined,
selling everything instead to fund The Clara Foundation
for children with Down syndrome and an animal sanctuary for neglected animals.
Critics called her choices reckless, but Clara thrived in a lively home filled with animals,
art, and laughter. By age ten, she confidently declared,
“My grandma says I can do anything. And I believe her.”
As an adult, Clara worked at the sanctuary, met Evan, a volunteer with Down syndrome,
and married him in a joyful garden ceremony.
Her grandmother’s love had transformed loneliness into family, legacy, and enduring hope.
