The Foster Dad Who Takes Only the Children Nobody Else Will
Published · Researched 2026-09-22
What happened (dated facts)
Mohamed Bzeek — a Libyan-born former marathon runner who came to the U.S. in 1978 to study engineering — has been, for more than three decades, the only foster parent in Los Angeles County willing to take in the county's terminally ill foster children. After marrying Dawn (already a foster mom) in 1989, the couple decided around 1995 to foster exclusively terminally ill children: the ones no other home will take. He has cared for more than 80 children; ten have died in his arms. His own son, Adam, was born with brittle bone disease. After Dawn died in 2015 and his own colon cancer in 2016, he survived and kept going. The Los Angeles Times profiled him in 2017; a stranger started a GoFundMe that raised $600,000. The story recirculated widely in 2026.
Why it is genuinely positive
A man who has spent 30 years being the last loving arms for dying children that nobody else would take — quiet, sustained, extraordinary compassion. One of the purest acts of kindness imaginable.
Social pulse
Strong 2026 social recirculation: @goodnews_movement and other curators on Instagram/Threads (2026-08); original LA Times profile (2017) remains the canonical source; GoFundMe raised $600K in 2017.
Verified quotes
- Mohamed Bzeek, via Los Angeles Times (quoted by Good News Network): "I know they are sick. I know they are going to die. I do my best as a human being and leave the rest to God."
- Mohamed Bzeek, via Los Angeles Times (quoted by GetReligion): "I know she can't hear, can't see, but I always talk to her. I'm always holding her, playing with her, touching her. … She has feelings. She has a soul. She's a human being."
Verification
- Tier: 2
- Primary source: Los Angeles Times, "'I knew they were going to die.' This foster father only takes in terminally ill children" (2017); Good News Network — https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/la-foster-dad-to-terminally-ill-kids/
- Social sources: Instagram @goodnews_movement and other curators (2026-08 recirculation); GoFundMe donor community (2017).
- Positivity check: passed — extraordinary sustained compassion.
Key facts
| Fact | Value | Source | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foster father | Mohamed Bzeek, Libyan-born, Azusa CA; arrived US 1978, former marathon runner | LA Times / epiola | 2017 |
| Commitment | Only foster parent in LA County taking terminally ill children; 80+ children since 1989, 10 died in his care | LA Times / epiola | 2017 |
| Turning point | 1995 decision with wife Dawn to foster exclusively terminally ill children | LA Times | 2017 |
| Support | $600,000 GoFundMe after LA Times profile (2017) | LA Times-derived reports | 2017 |
| 2026 | Story recirculated by good-news curators on social platforms | Social posts | 2026-08 |
UNVERIFIED points
- The GoFundMe total ($600K) and child count (80+) come from secondary reports citing the LA Times; the exact current totals were not re-verified.
- Bzeek's 2026 circumstances (whether still fostering) not captured.