Christie Werts never intended to revisit the foster care system in adulthood. Her own childhood experiences as a foster kid shaped her perspective and took adoption off her radar.But everything changed when tragedy struck a boy’s life just five days after he was born, and Werts took the opportunity to bring his remaining family under one roof.
Levi — who turns 3 in August — was born to Werts’ husband Wesley’s ex-wife in 2021. She died of a stroke shortly after delivering the infant. The two women never met, but Werts says she didn’t hesitate to show up for Levi in his earliest moments.”I knew from the minute [Wesley] told me that [Levi’s biological] mom wasn’t doing so good … I just knew that he should be with his brother and sister,” Werts tells PEOPLE, referring to the two children Wesley shares with his late ex, son Austin, 15, and daughter Dakota, 11.
