Just because a couple breaks up, doesn’t mean they don’t still have love for one another. It may no longer be romantic love, but compassion and kindness can certainly remain. Sometimes, the couple has such a strong bond that they will do anything for the other person, even if it means their life will never be the same.
Christie and Wesley Werts were happily married in 2021 when they got a call that would change their lives forever. Wesley’s ex was pregnant and extremely ill with complications from COVID-19. She gave birth and died a few days later, leaving her newborn son, Levi, without a mother. Christie and Wesley swooped in and raised the child as their own.
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Christie and Wesley rushed to be with Levi.
According to SWNS via the New York Post, Levi’s mother gave birth at 33 weeks and died a few days later after a stroke. Christie, who was raised in foster care, was heartbroken for the baby and contacted Child Protective Services to tell them she wanted to raise the baby. Fearful he would end up in the foster care system while they went through the adoption process, the family moved from Ohio to Texas.
Christie couldn’t leave Levi alone.
Christie told SWNS she’d never met Levi’s mother, but that didn’t matter. “I was a foster kid myself and I didn’t want him to go into the foster care system,” she said.
She explained she had to move to keep Levi with her. “As Levi was born in Texas and we lived in Ohio we could have done a state transfer to foster him but that would take one year at least. He would go into foster care during that time and we didn’t want that,” she said.
The family made a life in Texas.
For 16 months, Christie and Wesley lived in San Antonio. Levi quickly became their own. The couple adopted him a year after he was born, but he was already part of their blended family of six. Christie and Wesley each had children from previous relationships, making Levi lucky number five.
“He knows his alphabet and he is full of life and curiosity, he is the youngest in our family and the center of our attention,” she told SWNS.
Now, they’re back in Ohio.
The family moved to a Toledo farm when Levi was 16 months old. They love their life there, and Levi is a huge part of that.
“He wants to do everything himself. I will invite him to try and do things with me,” Christie said. “If I am cooking I will invite him, we live on a farm, he is very independent and very smart.”
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The couple is dedicated to keeping Levi’s birth mother’s memory alive.
Christie said they are open with Levi about his mom and want to ensure he will always know her.
“I am going to put pictures in his room and have her visible — we are not going to hide her from him,” she said.
“We will tell Levi he is very loved but we know he will go through emotions, having his brother and sister with him will be good,” the mom added.
