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Jesus. To not only be a child with a terminal disease, but to also lack parent(s)... I can't imagine the pain and sadness these kids feel. Thank you to this man

Jesus. To not only be a child with a terminal disease, but to also lack parent(s)... I can't imagine the pain and sadness these kids feel. Thank you to this man.

jinfiesto 10y ago
It's horrifying. I can't even imagine what it's like to have to confront your own mortality at such a young age. Especially without the love and support of a caring family.
- jo909 10y ago
  > lack parent(s) > without the love and support of a caring family. Isn't that exactly what Mr. Bzeek is giving to them? I would not dare to tell him his love and care is any less than of a biological parent, and I believe it does not make any difference to the children either.
  - hamstercat 10y ago
    I think GP meant that there are many children going through that, most not as lucky as the one getting that man as a foster father.
johnnycarcin 10y ago
It is amazing to me that there are people out there like this (Mohamed Bzeek). The amount of emotional strength and selflessness that I believe it would take to live in this man's shoes is nothing short of extraordinary. Thank you submitter for putting this on HN.
LeifCarrotson 10y ago
And on the other side - it's hard enough being a parent and seeing your kids grow up and not need you. Harder still to be a foster parent and constantly become attached only to have them torn away from you, seeing them go on to situations that may be subjectively worse than the home you gave them. You give up a part of yourself to raise a child. I simply can't imagine the sort of emotional strength it would take to bury 10 children and show such love to dozens more.
- magic_beans 10y ago
  Foster parents always have the option to adopt. Not to be a negative Nancy, but the system is pretty terrible and many, MANY foster parents act more as halfway houses for kids than any sort of "parent".
  - LeifCarrotson 10y ago
    Not always. Biological parents, at least in my area, can often reclaim the kids.
    - travmatt 10y ago
      The goal is usually to reunite the child with their parent, but circumstances often intervene. Children have a larger network of caregivers (aunts, uncles, grandparents, cousins, even church members and family friends) that also play a large role.
  - atourgates 10y ago
    Your "Foster parents always have the option to adopt" statement is absolutely not true. Of the ~408,000 children in foster care in the United States, only an estimated 107,000 are eligible for adoption[1]. At the same time, there are also about 600,000[2] women in the United States who are actively seeking to adopt. Of course, the vast majority of those parents looking to adopt are looking for a newborn or infant, and only 6% of the children in the foster care system are under 1-year old[3]. The foster system is designed to get children back to their birth families, not adopted out. If it becomes clear that's not an option, then the system works to get the child adopted by a close relative. Only after it becomes clear those two options aren't, in fact, options, does an unrelated foster-parent have the potential option to adopt. Even then, it's a challenging process fraught with bureaucracy and serious difficulties for the potential adoptive parents. I'm not railing against the system, I'm just addressing your specific comment. We have several close friends and family members who have have tried, and failed to adopt a child through the foster care system in the United States. [1] https://www.childwelfare.gov/pubPDFs/f_fospar.pdf https://www.childwelfare.gov/pubPDFs/f_fospar.pdf [2] https://adoption.com/the-challenges-of-adopting-a-foster-child-across-state-lines https://adoption.com/the-challenges-of-adopting-a-foster-chi... [3] http://childrensactionnetwork.org/resources.html http://childrensactionnetwork.org/resources.html

Jesus. To not only be a child with a terminal disease, but to also lack parent(s)... I can't imagine the pain and sadness these kids feel. Thank you to this man.

jinfiesto 10y ago

It's horrifying. I can't even imagine what it's like to have to confront your own mortality at such a young age. Especially without the love and support of a caring family.

jo909 10y ago
> lack parent(s) > without the love and support of a caring family. Isn't that exactly what Mr. Bzeek is giving to them? I would not dare to tell him his love and care is any less than of a biological parent, and I believe it does not make any difference to the children either.
- hamstercat 10y ago
  I think GP meant that there are many children going through that, most not as lucky as the one getting that man as a foster father.

johnnycarcin 10y ago

It is amazing to me that there are people out there like this (Mohamed Bzeek). The amount of emotional strength and selflessness that I believe it would take to live in this man's shoes is nothing short of extraordinary. Thank you submitter for putting this on HN.

LeifCarrotson 10y ago

And on the other side - it's hard enough being a parent and seeing your kids grow up and not need you. Harder still to be a foster parent and constantly become attached only to have them torn away from you, seeing them go on to situations that may be subjectively worse than the home you gave them. You give up a part of yourself to raise a child. I simply can't imagine the sort of emotional strength it would take to bury 10 children and show such love to dozens more.

magic_beans 10y ago
Foster parents always have the option to adopt. Not to be a negative Nancy, but the system is pretty terrible and many, MANY foster parents act more as halfway houses for kids than any sort of "parent".
- LeifCarrotson 10y ago
  Not always. Biological parents, at least in my area, can often reclaim the kids.
  - travmatt 10y ago
    The goal is usually to reunite the child with their parent, but circumstances often intervene. Children have a larger network of caregivers (aunts, uncles, grandparents, cousins, even church members and family friends) that also play a large role.
- atourgates 10y ago
  Your "Foster parents always have the option to adopt" statement is absolutely not true. Of the ~408,000 children in foster care in the United States, only an estimated 107,000 are eligible for adoption[1]. At the same time, there are also about 600,000[2] women in the United States who are actively seeking to adopt. Of course, the vast majority of those parents looking to adopt are looking for a newborn or infant, and only 6% of the children in the foster care system are under 1-year old[3]. The foster system is designed to get children back to their birth families, not adopted out. If it becomes clear that's not an option, then the system works to get the child adopted by a close relative. Only after it becomes clear those two options aren't, in fact, options, does an unrelated foster-parent have the potential option to adopt. Even then, it's a challenging process fraught with bureaucracy and serious difficulties for the potential adoptive parents. I'm not railing against the system, I'm just addressing your specific comment. We have several close friends and family members who have have tried, and failed to adopt a child through the foster care system in the United States. [1] https://www.childwelfare.gov/pubPDFs/f_fospar.pdf https://www.childwelfare.gov/pubPDFs/f_fospar.pdf [2] https://adoption.com/the-challenges-of-adopting-a-foster-child-across-state-lines https://adoption.com/the-challenges-of-adopting-a-foster-chi... [3] http://childrensactionnetwork.org/resources.html http://childrensactionnetwork.org/resources.html