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An Ohio woman who grew up in foster care has adopted the son of her husband’s deceased ex-wife to give him a better life.
Christie Werts, 48, was already living in a blended family with her husband, Wesley, 45, when she decided to raise newborn Levi, Jam Press reports.
“My husband did not really speak to the biological mom’s family often, but she had Levi on a Monday and passed away that Friday,” explained Werts, who works in IT.
“When I heard about Levi, without hesitation I said we should take him.”
Wesley’s ex-wife gave birth to Levi in Texas in August 2021. He was born prematurely, at 33 weeks, and she died four days later from complications of a drug addiction and a COVID-19 infection, per Newsweek.
Wesley’s ex-wife is the mother of his two children, Austin, 14, and Dakota, 10. Christie has two children of her own — Megan, 21, and Vance, 15.
The couple met five years ago.
They finalized Levi’s adoption in January after a 16-month process.
“I did not want him going to foster care,” said Christie, who had been in the foster system from the age of 15.
“Although, my experience was overall as good as it can be in foster care, I just knew I loved my stepkids enough to make sure they got to be with their half-brother.”
It didn’t take long for the “child with no first name, no birth certificate” to “steal” Christie’s heart.
“He won’t understand the journey right now, but someday I will let him know we fought for him!” Christie said of the new “king of the house.”
She noted that her family sold their home in Ohio and rented a house in Texas to foster Levi before officially adopting him.
For his part, Levi has become a social media sensation.
Christie often posts about her family on TikTok.
One clip about Levi’s birth scored a million views in June.
Christie said she’s working on a book about being a foster kid and Levi’s adoption story.
“The process to adopt from foster care is not for the faint of heart. I read a comment once that someone said people adopt out of selfishness for themselves, not the child,” Christie remarked.
“You must have that desire for a child, [but] a desire to want, love and care for a child at any age has to be just as important as helping a child.”
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