Kyung Lah

CNN

At Spencer Morrey’s home, there are two constant sounds: his dad, Craig, murmuring, “You’re okay, Spence. You’re okay, buddy,” and the sound of a machine clearing the toddler’s airway. Both sounds come every few minutes, in between hugs, tears and kisses. Spencer has severe cerebral palsy and requires constant, 24-hour medical care. In Japan, a country that lacks sufficient medical services for disabled children, the only person to care for Spencer is his father. Morrey says his wife left, overwhelmed by the strain of their son’s medical condition.

That would be pain beyond what most parents could imagine. But Spencer’s mother fled while pregnant with Morrey’s daughter, Amelia. In more than a year, Morrey says he has only seen his daughter four times. “She wouldn’t recognize me,” Morrey said, with Spencer propped on his lap. “She wouldn’t call me daddy. She’s just starting to talk now. But she’s not going to know who I am. I think she deserves my love. And I think she deserves to be with Spencer and Spencer deserves to be with her.” Morrey, a native of Chicago and a U.S. citizen, was married to a Brazilian woman of Japanese descent. They divorced in a Japanese court.

Source: http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/10/13/japan.us.custody.battles/