There are many children in the foster care system waiting for a chance to find a forever home, now one blessed 17-year-old finally got one after spending 10 years in foster care.
On Sept. 25, Akyra Holstein was adopted by Katie Holstein in Kentucky after being through 24 different placements over 3,739 days. “The thing I love about her most is how resilient she is,” Katie Holstein said. “Even though she’s been in foster care for so long only to be disappointed, she took a chance on me and my family and let herself be loved again.”
Katie Holstein has been a foster parent since August 2017 and has helped others with respite care by taking in foster kids on a short-term basis and Akyra came to Holstein through respite care.
Another child, Thomas Holstein, 1, was also adopted the same day via Zoom, and family, friends, and Akyra’s caseworker were all present for the event, which was captured on Zoom video. “Then she came again in March 2020 for the last time, and she stayed,” Holstein said. “She’d been here for a couple of months at that point and I couldn’t imagine her not be here.”
While the process of adopting Akyra was on, Holstein was fostering several children, including a baby named Thomas, with whom she also fell in love. “He was 6 days old and spent a little time in the NICU,” Holstein said, she gave him the nickname Thomas “Tiny.” “When he came to me he was itty bitty and it kind of stuck.”
“She would walk through fire for that kid,” Holstein said of Akyra’s caseworker. “I firmly believe Akyra is as strong as she is because she had her in her corner,” Holstein said.
Akyra is going to graduate high school in May and even though her mother wants her to stay home and attend community college, Akyra wants to move away and prepare for a career in law enforcement.