After 25 Foster Homes, This 9-Year-Old Boy Finally Found His Forever Family—Read His Heartwarming Story

At just 9 years old, Luke (formerly known as Remington) had been in more than two dozen foster homes. Finding a family seemed impossible. But then Cassie and Bradley Kissinger decided to make his dreams finally come true.

Looking for space

As they watched a video of a 9-year-old boy named Remington in search of a family, Cassie and Bradley Kissinger looked at each other, their hearts feeling the same tug. 

Having grown up in a family that fostered and adopted out of foster care, Cassie had always dreamed of one day following in her parents’ footsteps. Bradley supported that dream, and last year, the Brookland, Arkansas, parents of two biological children: Ayden, now 11, and Alena, 14, decided the time was right. So, in March 2023, they visited the Project Zero website, an Arkansas nonprofit that promotes adoption from foster care, and came upon Remington’s video.

“I really want adoption because I am really tired of moving to different foster homes,” Remington, who stated he had been in 25 different foster homes in four years, shared. “It’s like I’m moving to a different country and like never figuring out where your country is.”

Remington, who said he wanted to grow up to be a scientist studying worms, said he felt lonely. “Please adopt me, if you can,” he pleaded. “I can be an amazing kid, and I always will be.”

What a sweet boy. He deserves a family, Cassie thought, and, she and Bradley agreed, “Let’s go meet Remington!” 

A new beginning

The Kissingers reached out to the adoption agency, and soon Remington came to their home for a visit. From the moment they all met, things just clicked on both sides. Remington loves sports and Harry Potter, which made him a great fit for the Kissinger house, where both top their list of favorite things. And he immediately started playing with Ayden and Alena. As the visit was winding down, Remington even asked, “Can I move in?”

As sure as Cassie and Bradley’s hearts were that he was the son they had been hoping for, agency rules required Remington to have a few overnight visits before he could be placed with the family. In between, they did Zoom calls. Seeing how comfortable and happy Remington was with the Kissingers, his caseworker finally gave the go-ahead for them to foster him.

He soon moved in with the family, and Cassie and Bradley wasted no time applying to adopt him. But again, there was a mandatory waiting period. They all counted the days, and after the six months of living together required by law, in May, Remington officially became a Kissinger. 

But he wanted to go beyond adopting their last name: He wanted to change his first name too, as a symbol of a fresh start and leaving the past behind. After coming up with some wacky ideas—Harry Potter, Michael Jordan and The Dragon among them—he chose Luke as his new name, inspired by the Gospel of Luke and Star Wars character Luke Skywalker.

“He took to it right away,” says Bradley. “Remington is his old life, old him, old everything. He’s the new Luke.”

Happy ending

When Luke’s adoption was finalized, per his one request, his fourth-grade classmates watched the court proceedings via a live stream in their classroom, located in another county. The other kids rejoiced with Luke, and his friends still talk about that special day months later. 

“I knew you could do it!” kids told Luke, who recalls the emotional day.

“I’m happy,” Luke says about his good fortune. “I’m excited!”

Still, while he is a typical curious, active boy—he just started playing football at his school— Cassie admits healing from his difficult past in multiple foster homes is going to take time. But Luke, now 11 and in fifth grade, is surrounded by a family who loves him and will be there to help him every step of the way.

“I can’t imagine being in that situation, especially as you get older. To anyone considering fostering, I would say, imagine if that was you: How it would feel to not have a parent?” Cassie says. “Kids deserve stability, and they deserve a forever. Luke will have that and more!”