When Tony Mutabazi was 11, he was left at a hospital. Having been born into the foster care system, Tony was adopted when he was only 4. However, his adopted Oklahoma parents abandoned him. His new foster father, Peter Mutabazi, was happy to take the young boy in. It wasn't long after that their relationship grew stronger and Mutabazi adopted Tony permanently.
"From day one, he's always called me 'dad.' He truly meant it and he looks up to me," said Mutabazi. "He's proud to show me at school and say, 'Hey, he's my dad.' That's something that I love about him."
According to his social worker, Jessica Ward, his parents never returned to pick him up. Mutabazi got a call from Ward that weekend asking if he could take care of the boy for the weekend. As a three-year foster care parent, Mutabazi was a great choice for an emergency situation like this. Once he learned the story behind Tony's circumstances, he knew that the two of them were meant to meet.
"Once I knew the parents' rights were signed off and he had nowhere to go, I [knew] I had to take him," said the new dad.
Mutabazi was a lonely kid himself, having escaped an abusive household when he was only 10 in Uganda. He found a parent figure to guide him through life and vowed to be that same figure for someone when he grew up. He does that not only by fostering kids but also by working for the non-profit World Vision United States, which helps children in vulnerable areas.
Now, Tony and Peter have created their own family, as well as the other children Peter plans on continuing to foster.