She single-handedly saved her nephew and little sister’s son. Aunt. Hero. Savior. Ellie Langstone. She is 30 years old and is the finance director at the YMCA.

“I love him, but I am more of the parent and it’s not even my child,” says Ellie, who at the age of 25 adopted her little sister’s child.
Her sister, Jenny, had a baby at age 17. With only a drunk dad and empty pockets, Jenny faced adoption. Jenny didn’t want to adopt the baby to any old family. She wanted to know the baby was safe and be able to visit her. Ellie and Jenny searched. They asked close friends and relatives, but no one was able to adopt him.
“After seeing him in my sister’s arms, I couldn’t let them be apart,” says Ellie.
After watching Jenny go through 5 hours of labor, she told Jenny she would happily adopt the baby. Ellie may have not been ready for a child, but she put the bourdon on her shoulders.

“The joy in her eyes was unexplainable,” says Ellie.
Being more like a mom than an older sister, Ellie knew she couldn’t bring herself to let the baby go. She was a savior to Jenny. The fear of having the baby go through adoption vanished like a giant weight off Jenny’s chest. Austin, born on that day, is now 5 years old.

Ellie explained that her sister never asked for Austin back. She says, “No, we enjoy both being moms. She wasn’t ready to have a child at the time. She lives right down the street now and visits all the time with her husband and newborn, Anna.”

Ellie may be known as the financial director at the YMCA. But underneath, she really is a savior to the life of her nephew and son of her sister.