Oklahoma Family Finds Brother Of Adopted Haitian Child

<p>Seven years ago this week, a group of orphans from Haiti were brought to Oklahoma.&nbsp;</p>

Tuesday, January 17th 2017, 7:42 pm

By: News 9


Seven years ago this week, a group of orphans from Haiti were brought to Oklahoma. The DeWitts adopted a little girl name Gardina, who is now 14 years old and is living with her family in Tuttle.

Gardina often wonders how she got so lucky.

“I think about that all the time,” she said.

She adjusted to Oklahoma and the language barrier is gone. 

Her mom, Jennifer DeWitt, said Gardina was the missing piece for their family. 

“Her being placed with us was not an accident. We very much chose her. God chose her for our family,” Jennifer DeWitt said.

Including Gardina, they have five children in the family.  

Two years ago, Jennifer and her husband Jeff Dewitt found another piece of the puzzle they never knew was missing.

Gardina has a little brother in Haiti that she had no recollection of. His name is Nicleson and he is now 12 years old. Nicleson lives in the same orphanage that Gardina lived in until she came to America.

“Why me? Why was I the one that got chosen to come here and not him?” asked Gardina.

Her parents flew her to Haiti to meet Nicleson. While Gardina hardly remembers her childhood in Haiti, her first moments with her brother in October 2015 is something she will never forget.

She said she loved him instantly. Gardina even had the opportunity to reunite with her Haitian family.

Gardina and her parents flew back to America. For a while, they sponsored Nicleson’s education and got him out of the orphanage, back to his biological family. With poverty, Nicleson ended up back in the orphanage. 

“When we found out that he was placed back in the orphanage, our hearts were drawn to want to reunite them and make him part of our family,” said Jennifer Dewitt.

“There’s not many opportunities in Haiti, and if he came here, he could just have a better life,” Gardina said.

The DeWitts are now on a mission to bring Nicleson to Oklahoma so that he can grow up alongside his sister. 

The cost to adopt Nicleson is going to be approximately $40,000 including at least two trips back and forth to Haiti.

The family has started a GoFundMe page for anyone that would like to help them get Nicleson to America.

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