In 2018, a 22-year-old Texas State student was visiting his hometown in Haiti when he found a baby in a trash bin. The 4-month-old was naked, crying, and covered in ants, and other passersby stood around him, debating what to do. But Jimmy Amisial took action. He picked up the baby and took him home to his mother, Elicie. Together, they fed, bathed, and clothed him, before taking him to a doctor and notifying the police. After saving the baby’s life, Amisial is going to officially adopt him.
“I had to do something…”
At that fateful moment, Amisial was walking home after volunteering at an orphanage in Haiti. “When I woke up that day, I was totally unaware that my life was about to change forever,” Amisial said to CNN. “People were crowding round this bin and I heard them arguing about what to do with this tiny baby.” The baby was covered in fire ants and the people around him were reluctant to pick him up because they thought he might be cursed or have an evil spirit. “Everyone was just staring at him. Not a single soul wanted to help. He was crying and had no clothes on and I could see the pain in his eyes. I had to do something.”
Amisial didn’t expect to take care of the baby beyond taking him to a doctor then the local authorities. However, the police never found the parents, leaving the four-month-old alone in the world. So the judge surprised Amisial by asking the then-22-year-old to become the baby’s legal guardian. “…I stayed awake for days tossing and turning, trying to make a decision. I was already behind on my university fees and my family has always struggled to make ends meet. But I didn’t have a dad growing up, and this poor child was facing a lifetime of instability and uncertainty…” Amisial believed this event happened for a reason, so he “took a leap of faith” and hasn’t looked back since. “I’ve always wanted to be a part of something great and to me, that was the moment.”
Jimmy and Emilio Amisial
Jimmy Amisial was studying communication and electronic media at Texas State University. But he began landscaping and doing deliveries to send money to his mother and the child, who he named Emilio Angel Jeremiah. They had to stay in Haiti, but Amisial’s goal was to bring them to the U.S. due to the political unrest in Haiti. In the meantime, he videocalled often, and gave up his studies to work full-time since he became unable to juggle both.
Throughout this time, Emilio knew him as “dad”. But Amisial decided to make it official in 2019, before being face with massive adoption fees, estimated to be $30,000 or $40,000, not including airfare and other related expenses. So he set up a GoFundMe, and has far surpassed his goal of $60,000. Many people were touched by his story and wanted to help. “People have been showing a lot of love and support, which I’m really grateful for,” he said to NBC News.
Seven Years Later
“When I found him, he was four-months-old — now he’s nearly five,” Jimmy Amisial said to the Sun in 2022. “It’s been an incredible journey and watching him grow up has been so rewarding. I’m very proud of him… I truly do feel like a father, and I’m excited to put pen to paper and make Emilio my son… I’m glad I got the opportunity to transform his life from being abandoned in the trash to being a wonderful treasure.” Emilio is now seven years old, and Amisial put the excess GoFundMe money aside for Emilio’s future education, and for the orphans he supports in Haiti.
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