A poor couple adopted him when he was a baby. Now, he's repaid them with their dream life

Editor's note: This article was originally published on January 24, 2020. It has since been updated.

Everybody loves a story about an underdog who makes it in the end. While those stories are plenty in movies or books, they are so rare in real life. Sometimes, however, a story comes by that gives you hope again. This is one of those stories. When Jayvee Lazaro Badile II was just a baby, he was adopted by a rather poor couple in the Philippines. He didn't really have much to call his own when he was growing up, but he was thankful to have a loving family. They gave him a real chance at life. Now all grown up, he's become a successful businessman. So he decided to repay his parents with the life they'd always dreamed of.

As he was growing up, he worked hard and remained dedicated. That's how he was able to help his family build the dream house they had always imagined themselves living in. He shared his journey in a Facebook post that has, of course, been applauded by the internet. "When Nanay and Tatay adopted me, it wasn’t a good life," the successful businessman wrote (Nanay and Tatay are words to refer to his parents). "Nanay is a vendor, Tatay is a porter. Now that I have the chance to give back to them, I will make sure they will live their dreams better than what they could ever imagine."

In his Facebook post, Jayvee shared, essentially, before and after photos. When the couple adopted him, they didn't have much to their name. They had a small house that looked like a shanty. Inside, there was a small kitchen that opened out onto the main street, a bedroom that consisted only of mattresses on the floor, one sole bathroom, a cluttered living room, and a rather tiny dining area. Now, after the adopted son was able to climb up the socioeconomic ladder, he has built his family a house fit for royalty. The building is a luxurious mansion with seven bedrooms and all the amenities that a large family could possibly ever need or want.

But that isn't all. Jayvee ups the ante by taking things a step further. In addition to building his parents' dream home, the businessman also treats them on vacations across the world. From nearby destinations like Singapore to countries in Europe and beyond, Jayvee shows them how grateful he is by spoiling them in all the ways he can. This includes buying them luxurious gifts like high-fashion handbags and clothes. However, most importantly, the greatest gift he gives them is... His time. Jayvee makes sure to spend as much time as possible with his parents and the rest of his family. Whether it's big things like family vacations or the little things like watching a movie and grabbing dinner, he knows the incomparable value of time, love, and family.