Chances are you know someone who fosters children — a family that opens its door and heart to children needing temporary care and love — children who are loved as if they were their own flesh and blood.
Truth be told, pro-lifers are known for their compassion for others, and this concern often extends well beyond life in the womb. Many have become foster parents.
However, one individual has gone well beyond what is normally expected from being a foster parent. His story is remarkable.
Mohamed Bzeek, as his name suggests, is a practicing Muslim. He’s not the typical pro-lifer who attends a local Right to Life chapter meeting or volunteers at the women resource center.
Bzeek is the only foster parent in the nation who exclusively takes in terminally ill children.
Since 1991, he has buried 10 of them, some who have died in his arms.
The key, Bzeek says, is to “love them like your own. I know they are sick. I know they are going to die. I do my best as a human being and leave the rest to God.”
The eldest of 10 children, this Libyan-born resident of the Los Angeles area immigrated to America in 1978. He credits his deceased wife with getting him involved in foster care. Dawn, who had a reputation for being one of the best foster parents in the area, was his inspiration.
To give you an idea of how desperately Bzeek’s services are needed, the children he has brought into his home were actually coded at the hospital with “do not resuscitate” orders simply because they had nowhere for them to go.
Caring for children with special needs has come naturally to this sixty-two year old father. His biological son, Adam, was born with osteogenesis imperfecta, that is, brittle bone disease with dwarfism. Adam is now 19 and a college student.
A six-year-old girl is currently in Bzeek’s care. Her name has not been released due to privacy concerns. The child suffers from a rare brain disorder that has left her deaf and blind, however, there is ample evidence she is aware of her surroundings. Regular seizures may have caused the paralysis of her arms and legs.
Bzeek’s life is centered on providing care for a child few would even acknowledge as part of the human race.
But she is precious to him. And he is all she has.
When Bzeek held a small birthday party for her, the biological parents were invited but didn’t show.
As a result of an interview with the Los Angeles Times, a GoFundMe account was established and has raised over $150,000 to assist Bzeek’s inspiring work.
At his age, few individuals would contemplate such an emotionally and physically taxing job, much less actually taking it on. This gentle and compassionate man is widely respected not only for filling an urgent need, but also for the way in which he does it — with love, patience and excellence. It’s his goal to make sure children like his current foster daughter never feel alone or abandoned.
Imagine the benefit to America if our society and laws reflected the love of Mohamed Bzeek.
For the weak and vulnerable,
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