Four years ago, we first connected with Kevin Gerdes. He was starting his foster journey with the goal of one day adopting. Since then, Kevin has cared for eight infants and one 10-year-old; he recently adopted his ninth foster infant after a year of caring for him. It’s been a 4-year-long journey with some incredible emotional highs and some all-time lows.

“After many years of anticipation and countless invaluable lessons learned, I am thrilled to finally introduce you to my son, Joshua, whom I have proudly adopted from foster care,” shared Kevin.

It’s been 15 months since Kevin first met his son, only 5 days after Joshua was born.

“I feel as though it was yesterday that I walked into a NICU room to see Joshua laying there with tubes down his nose. The second I walked into the room, I instantly felt a sense of calm come over me. The nursing staff seemed to have made it a point for me to truly feel as though Joshua was my biological son.”

But as mentioned before, the road to fatherhood was a strenuous one, and Kevin advises that fostering is not for the fainthearted.

In 2020, Kevin found very few other gay people who had made their foster family story public. So, he decided to start his own YouTube channel where he could document his own journey in the U.S. foster care system and connect with other gay men who might be considering taking that same route to becoming a dad.

His first infant came into his care in February 2021, and it was both “difficult” and “amazing.” Then began the next three years of numerous reunifications, the LA county requiring Kevin to remove all his documentary style videos from his social channel, caring for two infants simultaneously more than once, moving to a larger apartment to accommodate fostering a 10-year-old boy, and then moving back to a smaller place that was a better fit for Joshua and himself.

“Looking back, I simply have no idea how I managed as a single parent, but I guess I was determined.”

“When I sit here thinking about it, I see why so many people call it, “The System.” It is a system, a broken system,” Kevin shared about the foster care system. “On a personal level, this process has taught me about being a selfless father, my capability to be a father, my ability to put another human first – nine times over.”

But fostering pushed Kevin to his absolute limit, and he is quick to say that it isn’t for everyone.

“My advice is to go into this knowing that you’re going to do this until you adopt or if you’re doing this strictly to foster,” said Kevin. “Find a village of others who are foster parents. This is critical! No one will understand the process of emotional ups and downs that you’re about to experience.”

But would Kevin change anything about his journey? No. Because it led him to Joshua.

In an Instagram post sharing the news of his forever family, Kevin wrote these words to his son:

“Dear Joshua,

In January of last year God brought you into this world and just 5 days after that He brought us to each other. I still remember what it felt like walking into the NICU room seeing you lying there with tubes down your nose. After 9 children who’ve come through my home, none of them touched me like you have. You have taught me what selflessness truly is about. I don’t do it perfectly, but I am always trying.

The way you say, “Dada” melts me every single time. It’s something I will never get tired of hearing.

We have been through so many beautifully perfect moments, and I couldn’t ask for another little soul to better call my boy.

Joshua, I love you to the moon and back, let’s get the journey started!

Love,

Daddy”

We’re so excited to see what the future holds for this incredible single dad and his son Joshua!