When somebody opens an article with a blatant falsehood, I naturally don’t care what else they say. Any true statements in the article have been made in plenty of other places. The fabricated tear-jerker is meant to, and does, set the tone for the “point” the write is trying to make. If you can’t make a point without lying, I don’t care what your point is.
Frank Pavone is no liar. It's likely the story was related to him by someone who made it up, or that some details are true but others were mangled in retelling.
But whether the story is true or not...4,000 little kids a day...not a problem?