I Adopted My Husband’s Ex-Wife’s Baby to Prevent Him From an Orphanage Childhood

Christie Werts, a 48-year-old woman hailing from Ohio, has sparked considerable discussion with her remarkable action. She undertook a heartfelt decision that not every woman might contemplate: she adopted her husband’s ex-wife’s son. Her motivation behind this extraordinary gesture stemmed from her deep love and personal childhood experiences.

Christie didn’t hesitate to pursue adoption when the opportune moment arrived.

Five years ago, at the age of 48, Christie Werts crossed paths with her husband, Wesley. In an effort to merge their two families, the couple combined Christie’s children, Megan and Vance, with Wesley’s children, Austin and Dakota.

However, a day arrived when they received heartbreaking news—Wesley’s ex-wife, and the mother of Austin and Dakota, passed away. Without hesitation, the couple made an enormous and compassionate choice, opening their hearts to welcome the newborn baby, Levi, into their loving family.

As of January 2023, the devoted mother has successfully completed the legal adoption process for Levi. She is now raising him as her own child. In her own words, she shared, “When I heard about Levi, without hesitation, I said we should take him.”

Due to her tough childhood, Christie was determined to provide a better life for Levi.

Christie shares, “I myself was a foster kid and, although for the most part, I had a great experience, I did not want him going to foster care. My husband did not really speak to the biological mother’s family often, but she had Levi on a Monday and passed away that Friday.”

She continues, “We lived in another state at the time, so we sold our home in Ohio and rented a house in Texas because we had to officially foster to adopt him. So we did — the process took 16 months.”

She elaborated, “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. I did not want Levi to end up in the foster care system.”

“I love kids and bonded with my stepkids real quick. I also was in love with my bio kids at first sight. This was different — I was going to walk into a child I never met and was worried the circumstances would hinder this instant love. But he stole my heart. I also felt this intense need to protect him,” shared the adoptive mother.

Unfortunately, not all adoption stories have a happy ending. One couple adopted a 6-year-old orphan, only to later discover that she was an adult with dwarfism.