Who could have predicted that celebrating the new year with friends and family would turn out to be so formative? On a vacation from school in Texas, Jimmy Amisial was strolling around his birthplace of Gonaives, Haiti to ring new 2018 with friends.

As he was making his way to the event, he approached a small gathering out of curiosity and made an observation that would have a profound impact on the rest of his life. Amisial decided to take care of a youngster he discovered in the garbage rather than attend to a party as he had originally intended to do.

Amisial, who was 22 years old at the time, reflected on the incident and said, “When I came to the spot where the people were making commotion, I saw a baby.” There wasn’t a single person who cared enough to do something about it even though it was sobbing in the middle of a rubbish heap.

People in the area were too terrified to approach the newborn out of fear that it was cursed or wicked. Amisial, on the other hand, approached the infant with caution and trepidation and lifted them up.

He said, “He was barefoot and shirtless. Due to the fact that he had been there for a few hours, he was covered with fire ants that were crawling all over him. As soon as I scooped him up, he put an end to his wailing instantly.

Amisial escorted the child, who was only three months old at the time, to the house of his frightened mother, Elicie Jean. Amisial said that as they were cleaning him, they discovered he had been bitten by fire ants and was having an allergic response; as a result, they applied some lotion to help relieve the discomfort.

He looked after the infant throughout the night and then contacted the authorities so that they could look into the situation.

A judge went to Amisial’s mother’s house and asked him whether or not he would be willing to accept temporary custody of the infant since no one had come forward to claim the kid.

“After he asked me that question, I spent a lot of sleepless nights,” Amisial said, “since this is such an important choice, and it was in my hands.” I couldn’t get comfortable, but my mom kept telling me that everything happens for a purpose. I’ve always had the desire to be a part of something really remarkable, and I felt like it was my opportunity.”

Amisial, who had already developed a relationship with the infant, offered to assume legal care of the orphaned youngster. Since that tragic evening, Amisial has been looking after a child whom he is now in the process of adopting officially.

Amisial was compelled to go back to Texas after his vacation for the holidays since the student visa program he was participating in demanded it. He came to the conclusion that it would be best to leave the infant in the care of his mother while the authorities worked out the details of removing the youngster into custody.

In 2019, Amisial started the process of adopting a child, and almost immediately ran across challenges. Amisial is quoted as saying, “It wasn’t that simple.” “It is difficult to get anything done in the government in Haiti. When I first began the procedure, everything seemed to be in order; but, later on, they requested a significant amount of money from me, but I did not have the necessary finances.

The Haitian attorney Esther Chery who is aiding Amisial emphasized, “What I know for sure is that adoption is quite costly.” The adoption organization All God’s Children International believes that the cost of adopting a child from Haiti may reach as high as $40,000. This estimate does not take into account the cost of travel, hotel, or any other associated costs or expenditures.

Because of all of these potential expenses, Amisial has made the decision to take a leave of absence from school in the year 2020 so that he may focus on the custody battle for the kid he has named Emilio Angel Jeremih. In order to provide for himself and his family, he works half time as a gardener and as an assistant delivery driver.

Amisial launched an internet fundraising campaign on July 27 in order to cover the costs of adopting Emilio. Although the goal was to collect $60,000, the total number of contributions ended up being over $79,000. Amisial intends to donate some of the surplus cash to Haitian orphanages, in addition to putting some of it toward Emilio’s educational expenses.

After four years have passed since that exciting evening, Emilio has developed a wonderful personality and is currently attending school. According to Amisial, “Tom and Jerry” is one of his favorite shows to watch, and he also enjoys singing and playing the guitar. He is such a happy child, and he is very into sports. He is active in both basketball and soccer. My mother and I had an instant connection with him right away. He refers to me as Dad. Despite the fact that I am his temporary guardian, I will always think of myself as his father.

FaceTime is how Amisial connects with his family, and he does his best to pay them a visit whenever he is able, despite the fact that current events in Haiti have made travel more difficult.

Amisial has a track record of assisting orphans in his own land, which may put him at an advantage in the event that he is asked to take care of a kid who has been abandoned. When he was younger, he spent time helping out in the neighborhood orphanages, which is where he picked up his English skills.

When he was a youngster, he made bracelets out of recycled Doritos bags and sold them. The money he made from these bracelets enabled him to pay for his studies and to contribute to birthday parties for orphans. In the end, he was able to secure admission to Texas State University by capitalizing on the contacts he had formed via his volunteer work.

Amisial, who is now 27 years old, is eager to continue his education after first resolving the custody dispute involving Emilio. “I want him to have a good time. “I want to teach him how to love, and I want him to know that even though he was left alone, he is not alone,” he added. “I want him to know that even though he was left alone, he is not alone.”

Amisial wishes to realize his aim of assisting orphans and low-income families in Haiti by founding his own charitable organization, which he intends to run on a not-for-profit basis.