Dan Gaut, a carpenter from Sydney’s North, lost custody of his daughter after his girlfriend, Liv, went back to the U.S. without him.
After they rekindled their relationship, she told Mr. Gaut that she would put their daughter up for adoption.
Under the deal, if he went to the US to be near the baby, his former partner would have to give him custody of Ana permanently.
In a statement posted on Instagram, Mr. Gaut said he felt empty and heartbroken as he was forced to leave the US.
He also thanked his supporters and noted that Liv wanted to keep Ana in the country.
The carpenter said he would use the remaining funds to hire a legal representative in Austin and visit his daughter regularly.
Even though he was forced to leave the U.S., Mr. Gaut still held out hope that Ana would one day live in Australia. He was able to be with his daughter after he flew to Texas to prevent her from being adopted. He reportedly got on a plane from Sydney after learning that his former partner went into labor before Ana’s March due date.
He told A Current Affair that he didn’t sleep during the flight because he was so excited to meet his daughter. He described Ana as a “cute little thing.” He also said that whatever his nerves were during the moment, he quickly resolved them.
It was a magical moment for me, and I couldn’t wait to hold my little girl. At the time, he said that he was taking things one day at a time and was learning how to be a father. Unfortunately, the heartbreaking decision has resulted in him returning home to Australia without Ana.
He said that his girlfriend was supportive of his decision to bring Ana to Australia. Despite the uncertainty of the situation, he noted that it was still a possibility that he would be able to bring the baby over. One of the most important factors that he had to consider was obtaining a US passport.
After he got his passport, he was able to start the process of getting Ana an Australian visa. He also plans on applying for Australian citizenship for his daughter. His ex-partner, who was still in Australia, had offered to help him return to the country with Ana.
During their first holiday together in San Francisco in 2023, Mr Gaut and his former partner agreed to have a child together. Unfortunately, after she went back to the US, she told him that she was planning on giving their daughter to US adoption agencies.
He noted that she had started sending him adoption options for people she knew in Texas. He was worried that she might try and trick him into giving their child to others. To help with the costs of immigration and travel, his friends established a crowd-funding campaign on a website called GoFundMe.
In his statement on the GoFundMe, Mr Gaut said that he was unsure how he would approach the situation, but he vowed to do everything that he could to bring his daughter home. He also said that every child should know that they are loved and wanted. He added that he wanted to be the best father that he could be.