Family & Life Magazine Issue 13 | Page 19

ROBERTO AND KATHRYN ORTIZ & DANNY It was a simple church talk that touched on foster children and how there would be so many loving homes available if everyone decided to make a small difference, but it dramatically changed Roberto and Kathryn’s lives. They decided to become volunteer foster parents and welcomed Danny* into their cosy place two years ago. Today, Danny is three-years-old and has warmed up to Roberto and Kathryn, much to their happiness and delight. Previously, Danny would wail non-stop for hours on end and could not be calmed down no matter what they did. AN EVENING WITH DANNY AND THE ORTIZES Unfortunately, on the evening of our photo shoot, Kathryn let us know that Danny was rather unwell and might be an unwilling subject. She was right on the money as Danny lounged on the beanbag and refused to be in the photographs, despite being coaxed by his foster parents and bribed with toys. I decided to take a gamble and began juggling the miniature soccer ball by myself, hoping he would be intrigued and subsequently, join me. The trick worked and he laughed before rushing over to play with me. We had a short kick-a-bout and my photographer managed to get ѡ