Kristi Smith did not want to undergo the stress and heartache of trying to have a biological child with her rare genetic condition. Instead, she adopted and saved four other kids who suffer from the same disorder.
Smith was diagnosed at birth with Phenylketonuria (PKU), a condition that can lead to seizures, developmental disabilities, and mental and physical disorders if it is not treated properly.
Her parents discovered that they could keep the condition in check by keeping their daughter on a restrictive low-protein diet. Thanks to a special dietary formula that Smith drank on a regular basis, she was able to finish high school, graduate with two college degrees, and settle down with her husband Matt in Tucson, Arizona.
When they started talking about having kids, however, the odds were not in their favor. Smith’s online research showed that trying to give birth with PKU often ended with fetal abnormalities and miscarriages.
Upon researching the possibility of adoption, Smith found two children in China who also had PKU.
“I didn’t want to potentially go through all that headache and heartache and stress when there are kids who need a family out…
