Akyra Holstein was finally adopted by Katie Holstein from Kentucky after going through 24 different foster placements over 3,739 days.
«The thing I love about her most is how resilient she is,» Katie Holstein told «Good Morning America.» «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 started to foster children in August 2017. She’s supported other foster parents with temporary assistance, where she’d take adopted children for a short time.
«Then she came again in March 2020 for the last time, and she stayed,» told Holstein. «She’d been here for a couple months at that point and I couldn’t imagine her not be here.»
Holstein was raising more than one child when she started the adoption process for Akyra together with a baby named Thomas, whom she also fell in love with.
«He was 6 days old and was spending a little time in the the NICU,» told Holstein. Katie also added that she called Thomas “Tiny”. «When he came to me, he was itty bitty and it was kind of stuck.»
Akyra was adopted on the same day as 1-year-old Thomas. She asked Holstein to make an event capturing on Zoom video, where Akyra’s friends and case workers were all present.
«She would walk through fire for this child,» said Holtein of Akyra’s case worker. «I firmly believe that Akyra is as strong as she is because she had her in her corner.»
Katie Holstein also added that Akyra will finish high school in May. Despite the fact that mom wants her to stay at home and go to community college, Akyra wants to get away and prepare for a career in law enforcement.
