Teen tearfully asks his step dad to adopt him through an emotional letter: 'Adopt me as your own'

Just like every other child, 17-year-old Keon Wiggins-Saunders from Suffolk, Virginia, wanted his father by his side. However, his life was a bit different because his mother, Keona, had remarried Donzell Powell when he was 3. However, back in 2020, on Father's Day that year, he decided to write a special letter to his stepfather, making an even more special request.

Saunders' viral video, which he first uploaded on Newsflare, showed him in tears as he read his letter to his stepfather. Saunders thanked Powell for being there for him through thick and thin. He calls him his role model and that Powell is the only father he has ever known since forever. "I want you to adopt me as your own," Saunders tells Powell while he continues to sob and then the duo exchange a warm hug. As Powell agrees to adopt Saunders legally, the family breaks into smiles and laughter.

Saunders spoke to Atlanta Black Star, where he detailed his life with Powell by his side and what motivated him to make the gesture. "I came up with the idea for him to adopt me that way, everything that he's created, everything that he's built, everything he's done for me—'cause I did gave him some headaches—I felt like I had to repay him," Saunders told the outlet over a Zoom interview.

"I knew I wanted to do it but I didn't know the perfect time to let it ride. I felt like the relationship with my biological father was fading and I was just like, well maybe this happened for a reason. Maybe I need to make this move, especially before I go to college and start doing what I'm doing. I want to do it and felt like Father's Day was the perfect time," Saunders continued. He shared a bit about his childhood as well. Saunders' mother was working in a bakery and Powell was serving in the Army Reserve when they first met after Keona separated from Saunders' biological father.

"He would take me everywhere. Riding in cars, to the barbershop, wherever it was—I was with him. People were starting to think I was his biological son," Saunders recalled. "I felt like my biological side of the family wasn't putting forth the same effort as the Powell family was, so I wanted to take on the legacy that made me who I am rather than the legacy that brought me into the world."

In another interview with the Whole Brother Mission YouTube channel, Powell was there with his son to speak about their bond. "We stayed rather close to one another, but we weren't really in communication, and I felt as though I was tired of splitting my love between two men in my life, and I want to give my all to the one who deserves it the most," Saunders told the channel about the fading connection with his biological father. Powell revealed that he wasn't sure how the family would have proceeded with his stepson's adoption request but he aims to become an inspiration for fathers and sons who are not connected by blood but by humanity.

"I always advocated to Keon, no matter what, that's your father, so you need to make sure you have respect for him regardless of the circumstance," Powell told Whole Brother Mission. "And I always made sure I was cordial with the father, that I don't step on his toes. But we had moments trying to figure out where my place stood in his life and how far I could go in being the actual stepfather." They had a few falling outs, but Saunders and Powell's bond is better than ever.

Saunders is now an entrepreneur with a clothing line called Rich Kid Clothing and also makes videos to advocate racial justice. The video was circulated on social sites like Reddit by u/Justin_Godfrey, where some people called Saunders' display of vulnerability to be an example of "ironclad masculinity." u/whiskeyinmyglass wrote, "That's what being a man looks like (from both sides). Stepping up when needed, showing emotion when called for and asking tough questions even though you're scared. I'm glad these guys have each other."