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Another Pietà

Editor’s Note: An election to fill the seat vacated by former Representative Anthony Weiner (D-NY) will be held next month. Bob Turner is the Republican challenger to the presumed “safe” Democratic seat. The following news item could have an effect on this race, which appears to be closer than expected.

Remembering the PBS story upon which the article is based, one is amazed by the seeming fleetness of time.

Adoptive parents in high-profile AIDS case identified as Republican candidate Bob Turner and wife

BY Mark Morales
DAILY NEWS WRITER

Sunday, August 21st 2011, 4:00 AM

Andrew Theodorakis/News

Bob Turner, the Republican candidate for Congress in the special election for Anthony Weiner's seat, and wife Peggy Turner with their adopted son, C.J. Turner.

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Two decades ago, an AIDS-stricken Brooklyn woman's quest to find new parents for her son made headlines and caught the attention of Hollywood.

A dying Rosemary Holmstrom got offers from people around the world who wanted to take in her then-8-year-old C.J.

The Queens couple who adopted the boy and made him part of their family never wanted to be identified - until now.

Bob Turner, the Republican nominee for disgraced ex-Rep. Anthony Weiner's vacant Brooklyn-Queens seat, and his wife Peggy, raised C.J., now 26.

"This was not a tough decision," Bob Turner said. "It wasn't 'should we or should we not.' It was the right thing to do."

"He was so cute. He was adorable," added Peggy Turner, remembering C.J. as a young boy.

LEARN THE STORY OF C.J. TURNER AND HIS MOTHER, ROSEMARY HOLMSTROM

Holmstrom was diagnosed HIV positive in 1986, just a few months after her husband died from the disease. After the Daily News reported on her plight, thousands of letters poured into her mailbox from people offering to take the boy.

Holmstrom met with the Turner family, eventually deciding they were the right fit. She soon found herself as much a member of the Turner family as C.J. In October 1994, Holmstrom finally passed away, leaving C.J. with the Turners for good.

"It was a very hard time but we all got through it together," Peggy Turner said.

A heart-broken C.J. did his best to cope with the loss, attending his elementary school in Windsor Terrace and quickly making lifelong friends in the close-knit Breezy Point community he now called home. He played hockey in high school at St. Edmund's Prep in Sheepshead Bay and eventually got his degree in communications from Marist College.

Rosemary's story was made into a TV movie - "A Mother's Prayer," starring Linda Hamilton.

C.J., who works in sales at a television production company, has adjusted well to life with the Turners despite his mother's tragic death.

"It's a difficult situation for him," said his older brother Matt, 44. "The adoption process can be a traumatizing thing for a kid and he didn't have to experience that. He was already 100% part of the family, as was Rose."

"His heart is with her, but he doesn't like to talk about it too much," said Peggy Turner.

Turner, who faces Democrat David Weprin in the Sept. 13 special election, said he looks back on C.J.'s life - and is filled with pride and admiration for his son. "He's overcome obstacles and he's a good kid," said Bob Turner. "He's done right by everyone."