‘He stole my heart in an instant’: Plant City mom uses blog to raise awareness for foster children, blindness

PLANT CITY, Fla. - A Plant City woman who dreamed of being a foster parent since middle school is using a Facebook blog to raise awareness about foster families, adoption and children with special needs. 

Among the goat, pig and horse that roam free on a Plant City farm, you'll find a determined and sweet 5-year-old boy named Luca June. 

"His favorite thing is definitely anything to do with water," said his mother, Destiny Fiaschetti.

She calls him Junie.

"Strong like the Juniper tree. Strong and withstanding", said Fiaschetti.

Junie's strength may be pulled from the hurdles he's already faced in his young life. 

"Junie has septo-optic dysplasia which is an umbrella disorder that includes optic nerve hypoplasia where his optic nerves didn't develop correctly so he is blind. He does have a seizure disorder that goes along with septo-optic dysplasia and he is also autistic," explained Fiaschetti.

He has also been in foster care.

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"I've known I've wanted to foster since I was in middle school. It's been a huge passion of mine. I've always known that I've wanted to adopt and it's always seemed like a very obvious need you know. I was specifically licensed for high-risk kiddos. Kiddos with high special needs or high behavioral issues or large sibling groups," Fiaschetti shared.

A few years ago she got a call that changed her life. 

"We've got this 2-year-old blind child in a shelter. He's been in the shelter for a few months. Is there any chance that you would be able to take him for a little while and it was just like an instant yes like why is he still in the shelter and why was I not called sooner? Please get him to my house," she said. 

She said Junie was initially apprehensive. 

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"When they brought him they actually warned me, don't come too close he's going to bite you and I just kind of went up slowly and started talking to him and explained where he was and who I was and why he was there and asked if he wanted a hug and he just immediately gripped on to me and didn't let go and he stole my heart in an instant," recalled Fiaschetti.

Now they are forever family.

"At first it was just a foster case where parental rights are still intact and they had the option to work services. About a year into the case it became clear that Junie was going to need an adoptive placement and so they asked would you consider adopting him and it was like yes a thousand times over like this is my baby. I would love to adopt him," exclaimed Fiaschetti.

And they added another family member named Merlot from Southeastern Guide Dogs.

"She gives him some extra confidence, gives him that experience of what it's going to be like to have a dog with him 24-7 for when he's old enough to have a seeing-eye dog," said Fiaschetti.

Fiaschetti documents Junie's accomplishments in a Facebook blog called ‘Adventures of a June Bug’. 

"Kind of raise awareness, one, for foster kiddos. but also to raise awareness for blindness and you know that blindness isn't this end all be all disability that like stops your life," explained Fiaschetti. "This is a child that an entire state of foster homes said no to and he sat in a shelter at 2-years-old and everyone loves him. So this is what you're letting your fear stop. These kids are beautiful and they need love and they need homes."

She wants everyone to see that there are unlimited possibilities for children like her son.

"He's running around playing with his friends and he helps out on the farm. He likes to ride his horse. He's learning how to swim. He's riding a bike," she said. "He's perfect and I want him growing up in a world that believes that too."

LINK: Click here for more information about ‘Adventures of a June Bug’.