CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Justin Drexler said it says it takes a village to help raise a child, and he and his wife, Cathryn, know this firsthand.
After experiencing miscarriages after trying to add to their family, The Drexlers, along with their four older children, looked to adoption.
Justin is a Corpus Christi firefighter, and Cathryn runs a childrens' at-home kinder-prep program. Cathryn's job gave her time to work with Oliver -- the first child they adopted into their family -- who was struggling with socialization, and adjusting, in his new home.
"He definitely was a little boy who came to us with a traumatic past," Cathryn said. "When someone would knock on the door or ring the doorbell, he didn't know if it was someone coming to take him. But now, he'll be your door greeter."
Still, the Drexler family didn't feel complete. They asked Oliver's the caseworker assigned to his 9-year-old biological sister, Lena, if she could be adopted after she had lived in more than a dozen places.
The Drexlers began spending time with Lena, and even threw her most recent birthday party, where she and Oliver were reunited for the first time in four years.
"I felt like i wanted to keep her," said 7-year-old Oliver.
Last Tuesday, the Drexlers told Lena they wanted to adopt her, too. She was overjoyed at the thought at being a Drexler just like her little brother.
The parents said when the two siblings reunited, it was as if they had never been separated.
Lena, who has a big personality, has brought a lot of joy to the Drexler home, but she has been moved around a lot in her short life.
"Um, probably over fifteen (times)," Lena said.
"Smart girl, but the way I looked at her -- sass was her layer of protection," Catheryn said.
The Drexlers are helping Lena chip away at that layer of protection by reminding her, and Oliver, that they are loved and are never going to be left again.
Fostering helped the Drexlers complete their family, but they know that not everyone is in a position to bring a child into their home.
"It doesn't mean you have to open your home and foster, we all know that's not for everybody, but even just make a meal for somebody that is fostering," Justin said.
If you can't afford to foster a child, helping a foster or adoptive family in any form is a huge help.
For more information on how you can help, visit this website.
https://www.dfps.state.tx.us/adoption_and_foster_care/Get_Started/Information_Meetings/11.asp
