The Elksnis Geisler Family Spotlight

Irene Elksnis Geisler always wanted to be a mother but was not able to have children of her own. After being widowed for 10 years and facing the isolation of the pandemic, Irene had time to think about parenting again, and she started to seriously consider adoption. She was older than most new parents, and worried that both her age and being a single parent would hinder her eligibility. Her best friend knew that becoming a parent was what she most wanted, and convinced her that age was not an issue, as grandparents become their grandchildren’s legal caregivers often.

She reached out to Arms Wide and discovered that the process of becoming an adoptive parent was not as difficult as she expected. “I went into it with an open mind,” Irene said. “At the beginning, they asked me about my expectations and what I wanted from this, and I just told them I wanted to be a mom.”

Separated in the System

After she completed the necessary trainings, we connected her to siblings Miracle and Santiago through a child-focused recruitment program for older youth in foster care, and they immediately clicked.

Now teenagers, both Miracle and Santiago spent most of their lives in foster care, often in different homes. They both faced neglect and abuse in a couple of foster homes before the team at Arms Wide brought them into our child-focused recruitment program and connected them with Irene.  While we all wanted to reunite Miracle and Santiago at all costs, circumstances led to Miracle needing to be immediately moved into a new home, so she went to stay with Irene, who had already committed to adopting her brother as well.

As much as she wanted to, Irene was living in a two-bedroom apartment at the time and could not legally provide a home for both siblings. After Miracle moved in, Irene immediately started looking for a house. Miracle was grateful to live in a safe, nurturing home, but neither she nor Irene felt complete without Santiago.

“There was so much anxiety during that time,” Irene said. “They were so used to things falling through and coming apart in the foster care system. Although we had regular visits with Santiago, all I heard during that time was ‘I just want to be with my brother,’ and ‘I just want to be with my sister.’”

Reunited For Good

By the time Miracle’s adoption finalized later that year, they had found a beautiful new house and were able to welcome Santiago into their home. “He came to live with us the very day of Miracle’s adoption,” Irene recollected. “We will always celebrate that as the day we became a family.”

Finally family, Santiago’s adoption was finalized in August 2024. Irene had fulfilled her lifelong dream of becoming a mother, and Miracle and Santiago never have to worry about being separated again. Irene encourages everyone wanting to adopt to consider teenagers and siblings, two groups that are far less likely to be adopted. For her, adopting siblings added some ease to becoming a mother, since Miracle and Santiago provide each other with company, support, and entertainment.

She also cautions potential parents against certain beliefs of older children experiencing foster care and encourages potential parents to give adolescents a chance.

“As a widow, and a single parent, it was much easier to adopt older children. They help me around the house with cleaning and cooking. We’re a team – we have family conferences, and their voices are included and heard. And I consider myself lucky because they already came with their amazing personalities, and they’re just wonderful to be with and know.”