Becoming Fu Yang’s Dad

Louis DeLuca shows again that fatherhood is a leap of faith.

He was expecting a routine shoot three years ago when a friend asked him to take some pictures of a Chinese orphan flown in by Grace Children’s Foundation for surgery to correct a congenital facial deformity.

Photographs tell the rest of the story.

DeLuca snapped a photo of himself with Fu in 2003 – what turned out to be the day father met son.

With a few hours to kill DeLuca and the boy prowled Medical City Dallas Hospital together.

DeLuca has a grown daughter, Amanda, a son, Tony, and stepson, Jade, both just out of high school.

“I thought of every reason I couldn’t do it (adopting Fu),” said DeLuca, in a recent interview, “language barriers, economic barriers. It was a very volatile time for me emotionally. We spent two weeks in China last November finalizing things.”

Fu became an American citizen the instant their plan touched down in Dallas.

“In retrospect, it would have been a huge mistake not to have done this,” said DeLuca.

In a few years Fu will have more cosmetic surgery, according to DeLuca.

Outfitted with a hearing aid, he’s become a fan of rock music, says the family.

And he’s got more than a typical teenager’s appetite, added DeLuca.

China adoptions are said to be the most reliable and stable and the country is the one that most people choose to adopt from and have since 2000. One parent must travel and the trip typically last two weeks. Single women are also allowed to adopt. Post-placement reports and supervision are required for one year.

Adoption of children from China to the U.S. began in 1992 when the Chinese government passed a law ratifying international adoption. More than 95 percent of children adopted from China are girls freed for adoption because of China’s population control policies, according to one website.

Families who have adopted from China have developed strong support systems throughout the U.S.