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CHELSEA, Massachusetts (WBZ) -- The special bond between two boys changed the life of single mom Leslie Santiago in ways she never would have imagined.
Back in the third grade, her biological son Luis noticed something was different with his classmate Josiah.
"Josiah told me a little bit about his story and he didn't feel comfortable telling me a lot. He just told me a little bit and I told my mom about it," Luis said.
Classmates with something in common
It turns out the boys had something in common. They both have experienced having an incarcerated parent. Leslie saw Luis was trying to help.
"So, as you go through those things and you navigate through dark times, all you can think about when someone else is going through those times, is how you felt during those times," said Leslie.
The bond the boys shared brought them closer together and Josiah started to open up.
"It feels nice cause you know you can rely on someone that won't tell anyone about secrets or anything. It was just a nice journey, you could say," Josiah said.
As Leslie started to include Josiah in her and Luis' life, the thought of adopting Josiah became a real idea. But, there was a slight curveball.
The life-changing choice
"I remember he called me one day, and he said, 'I have the choice to either join your family or a different family,' and he decided to pick my family," Luis said.
National Adoption Day came and now Josiah has the forever family he was hoping for, with Leslie and Luis in Chelsea, Massachusetts.
"To be a part of this family, I think it was very beautiful, because I just wanted to have a family like this for almost all my life," Josiah said.
Leslie now has two sons to make memories with.
"We're up late doing homework, and I remember this one time, we laughed so hard. It might have been 11 o'clock and I was like, 'Guys we have to go to bed.' Something happened and they laughed so hard and I looked at them and I was like, 'This is what this is about,'" Leslie said.
"They've been so inclusive and so supportive of this whole process. Being a single mom, the thought of it never crossed my mind, not one bit, until I see how much they show up for me."
For more information on adoption and Wednesday's Child, you can contact MARE: 617-964-MARE (6273) or visit mareinc.org.
Since its inception in 1981, Wednesday's Child has been a collaboration of the Massachusetts Adoption Resource Exchange (MARE), the Department of Children & Families and WBZ-TV/CBS Boston. Hosted by Jack Williams for 34 years, this weekly series has given a face and voice to the children who wait the longest for families. Wednesday's Child has helped find homes for hundreds of waiting children and continues to raise awareness about adoption from foster care.
