Help A Family Raise $35,000 To Adopt This Toddler With Down Syndrome From Overseas

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A family in the U.S. wants to raise $35,000 to adopt an imperiled toddler from Eastern Europe.

Christie and Raymundo Orta are trying to bring 2-year-old Evan, who has Down syndrome, to their home in Pooler, Ga., from Eastern Europe, local news outlet WTOC reported. Abandoned at 1 month old, Evan lies in an orphanage crib with little stimulation or medical care. If he is not adopted by age 5, "he will be moved to an adult institution where he will probably only live a year or two MAX," Christie wrote on the GoFundMe page the family set up to raise the money they need.

According to Children's House International, which arranges adoptions for special-needs children in Eastern Europe, "the majority of children will die the first year after transfer."

While Christie Orta acknowledged on GoFundMe that $35,000 was an "unbelievable" amount of money, she explained that "when you fall in love, you set out to do amazing and miraculous things."

She continued her plea to WTOC. "I had always thought that it takes a special family to raise a child with a disability," she said in the segment above.

The Ortas will also benefit from a fundraiser event on Dec. 6 in Pooler, WTOC noted.

Those who would like to donate can visit the Ortas' GoFundMe page.

(Hat tip, Daily Mail)