As they prepared to pick up their two-year-old from an orphanage in India last month, Antoine and Mandy Zammit were constantly faced with one remark:  “Don’t go for your son”. 

The couple had been trying to have a child for a decade and started the adoption process over three years ago. 

When Luc was a year old he was matched with them, but they had to wait until the Indian courts allowed them to take him to Malta. Then the global pandemic hit and meanwhile, Mandy got pregnant with Samuel.

When they were finally given the go-ahead to go for Luc nothing would stop the Zammits, whether it was the pandemic, the Delta variant and not even the struggle to get vaccinated before departing. 

The fear was palpable though. Just a few days before the trip they read about the tragedy of 47-year-old Ivan Barbara who died of COVID-19 in India after he and his wife had gone to pick up their adoptive child. 

“When I heard about Ivan I went cold. It was just a few days before I was meant to leave. I did not sleep. But I could not leave our son there. We were determined to go. Any parent would know that you would go to hell and back for your child,” says Antoine, 43.

His wife adds: “People commented a lot, even on Facebook, and told us we should not go. They told us we would bring the Delta variant to Malta. We understood that the comments stemmed from fear at a time when the variant was picking up and from people who cannot understand what it’s like to wait for a child for so many years." 

Antoine and Mandy’s story 

Mandy cradles baby Samuel in their Żabbar home, and Luc climbs on his father’s belly as the couple recount how they met 12 years ago, getting married two years later. As much as they tried, Mandy could not get pregnant.

“Being a mother is something I always wanted. I always loved children. When we’d go out to a restaurant and see a family with children at another table, I felt it. Then our brothers and sisters started having children,” she says.

Antoine also had a desire to have his own children. "I married Mandy because I love her and also with the aim to start a family with her. We built a four-bedroom house as we always wanted a family.”

But they were told conceiving naturally would take a miracle. Apart from that, the fact that Mandy suffers from fibromyalgia -  a condition that causes chronic pain and fatigue - would mean a difficult pregnancy if it happened.

After eight years of trying and waiting, they decided to adopt. In January 2018, the couple went to Appoġġ to kick off the process and started an adoption course that led to them being approved as prospective adoptive parents. 

When they eventually decided to adopt from India they contacted Aġenżija Tama that guided them through a barrage of paperwork to be sent to an adoption agency in India.

Some two years after they started the process, they were matched with Luc, who was then a year old. The match happened as the pandemic broke out, causing further delays. They had to await a court order from the India courts to be able to pick him up from the orphanage in Mumbai. 

In May 2020, Samuel was conceived to their complete disbelief. They were happy and terrified.

“I knew we had a steep road ahead. Mandy was 44 years old and suffers from fibromyalgia. So I was happy but had mixed feelings,” says Antoine.

A year earlier she had miscarried so they did not want to raise their hopes. Then on February 14 - Valentine’s Day - Samuel was born.

From two to four

The couple made a decision to go ahead with the adoption no matter what. They were told they could pick up Luc in May. But, whereas in the past they dreamt of travelling to India together to pick up their son - a trip for which they had both taken the necessary vaccines - now Mandy could not travel with a newborn. 

Antoine asked his mother to join him in India. The COVID-19 vaccination programme had started in Malta and they asked to be vaccinated before leaving. 

“It was early February when we asked for the vaccine and were initially told we had to wait our turn. We told them we were not going on holiday but for adoption purposes. Then, I sent them an email telling them we will hold them responsible."

Eventually, on Good Friday, they were called in to get the vaccine. Two weeks later they took the second dose. The news of the death of Ivan Barbara on April 30 terrified them, amid anger when it emerged that the victim had been refused the vaccine. 

Antoine and his mother left for India on May 1. They packed a bag filled with face masks, sanitisers and gloves. When they landed they went straight to the hotel until the day arrived when they were to pick up Luc from the Mumbai orphanage.

“He was quiet and a bit shy. But when I gave him my hand he held it. The heartbreaking moment was seeing the other children come tell him goodbye. They all wanted a home,” Antoine recalls. 

They headed to the hotel where they spent the next two weeks. They only left their room to visit Malta’s High Commissioner in New Delhi Reuben Gauci, to get the necessary documents. Before leaving India they got swabbed and were swabbed again on arrival.

Return to Malta

On May 21, they arrived in Malta and spent two weeks in quarantine, during which time they were swabbed several times. 

Mandy spoke to them daily on WhatsApp until, three weeks ago, the family of four were finally united for the first time. 

“One thing that worried me was: would I feel the bond? With Sam the bond came natural. And with Luc the bond is there. He won over our heart.” 

Mandy looks at Luc at says: “One thing that bothers me is when people say we are doing an act of charity. He is our son. He is family and looking after family is not charity.”

The adoption process ended up costing a total of €20,000 in travelling and agency fees though they will be getting half the amount back from the government eventually.

“What pains us is that those couples who don’t have the money, cannot adopt. Perhaps the government could stagger the refund rather than wait till the end,” Mandy says.

The couple have a message for others waiting to adopt: never give up. 

“You need a lot of patience… but they do come home,” Mandy says.