At her 59th birthday party in Lecce, Italy, Madonna and all six of her children celebrated the big day with a Roman-themed birthday party. The entertainer has sold more than 300 million records in her time, giving her a name as one of the most successful female artists of all time. For the first time ever, all six of her children were together for the photo. Madonna’s older child, Lourdes Maria, was conceived with then-husband Carlos Leon. Her second oldest child, Rocco Ritchie, was conceived with her other ex-husband Guy Ritchie. As for her other three children, Madonna adopted.
Her first adopted child would be David Banda, from Malawi. The battle to obtain David from his parents came with public criticism, after dealing with a custody battle over Rocco with her ex-husband Guy. Eventually, David’s parents decided the boy should be given up to Madonna, and he has been in her care ever since. For her second adoption, Madonna met Mercy James shortly after she met David, but was not able to obtain the rights to adopt her. Madonna struggled against the highest courts in Malawi, letting everyone know that she would not give up on her. Eventually, it was a battle she won.
The last two to be adopted from Malawi were twins Estere and Stelle, who had lived at the orphanage The Home of Hope since they were just five days old. The twins were both four years old at the time of adoption earlier this year. Madonna’s struggles to obtain all of her adopted children from Malawi stem from the rule that adoptive parents must reside in Malawi for a year before adoption, which Madonna did not accomplish. Eventually, she would win out and get all of them.
Now, with her family assembled, Madonna happily celebrates her 59th birthday with all six of them. She has had plenty of struggles but seems happy to be at this point in her life. Her son Rocco escaped custody for a time in his youth, and both David and Mercy were suffering from severe illness at the time of their adoption. Eventually, Madonna would open The Mercy James Institute for Pediatric Surgery and Intensive Care, for children’s pediatric care in Malawi, after her experiences with her daughter and malaria. Madonna can confidently celebrate her birthday, knowing that not only does she have a musical legacy behind her, but she also has a family legacy ahead of her.
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