ABC/Randy HolmesNine years ago during a visit to a Ukrainian orphanage, Elton John encountered a baby named Lev with whom he was so taken, he and his partner David Furnish tried to adopt him, but the adoption was blocked by Ukrainian officials. Tuesday, Elton reunited with the boy, who’s now 10 years old.
The Daily Mail reports that Elton and Lev met up in the Ukrainian capital of Kiev, where Elton was participating in an anti-AIDS charity event. According to the newspaper, the group was seen happily greeting each other at the event before Lev and Elton posed together in front of old photographs of their first meeting while he was a baby.
Initially, Elton and David were blocked from adopting Lev because Ukrainian officials didn’t recognize same-sex marriages and so didn’t feel Elton and David were “suitable parents.” Lev then had to leave the orphanage due to conflict in that region and Elton reportedly helped him, his brother and their grandmother make it to another, safer city.
After his initial encounter with Lev, Elton realized that his attitude towards having children had changed and decided he wanted to be a father. He and David now have two sons: Zachary, 7, and Elijah, 5.
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