Once in a while, a story unfolds that restores our faith in the power of love and reminds us of the guiding hand of God behind the “coincidences” that change lives.
The account of Zoey, a newborn baby who found her way into the loving arms of a firefighter and his wife through the courageous act of her birth mother, is one such story.
According to TODAY.com, a firefighter pulling an overnight shift in January in Ocala, Florida, was awakened by an alarm at 2 a.m.
Responding to the sound, he discovered a healthy infant girl wrapped in a pink blanket in a Safe Haven Baby Box, which is a device designed to offer a safe and anonymous option for surrendering a newborn.
“She had a little bottle with her and she was just chilling,” the firefighter, who wished to remain anonymous, told TODAY.com in the article published Thursday. “I picked her up and held her. We locked eyes, and that was it. I’ve loved her ever since that moment.”
It turns out that the firefighter and his wife had been trying for 10 years to have a baby without success. They had completed all of the necessary classes in the state of Florida and were registered to adopt.
“All we needed was a child,” the firefighter said.
“I didn’t call my wife right away because I didn’t want to wake her up, but I knew she’d be on board,” the firefighter said. Instead, he went to the hospital to inquire about adopting the girl.
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The firefighter left the baby at the hospital with a note explaining the situation and his desire to adopt the baby, but he worried the note would be lost and they would lose the baby.
He and his overjoyed wife waited for news and were finally rewarded with what they had been hoping for.
Zoey was sent home with them on Jan. 4 and officially became a part of their family in April.
The firefighter who retrieved this beautiful baby girl from the Ocala Baby Box was also the one to adopt her https://t.co/PQptf3Zf1b
— Safe Haven Baby Boxes (@SafeHavenBox1) June 21, 2023
Zoey was the first baby to be placed in the Ocala Fire Rescue Safe Haven Baby Box — the only such box in Florida — since it was installed in 2020.
Safe Haven founder Monica Kelsey, speaking at a news conference in January, according to People magazine, expressed her joy and confidence in the future of the surrendered baby and the vital role played by Safe Haven Baby Boxes.
Addressing the mother who had legally surrendered her baby, Kelsey said, “Thank you. Thank you for keeping your child safe. Thank you for bringing your child to a place that you knew was going to take care of this child. And thank you for doing what you felt was best.”
📷The first baby dropped in one of Florida’s safe haven boxes has been adopted by the firefighter who found her and his wife. The couple who rescued Zoey had been trying to start a family for a decade. Zoey is now 5 months old. https://t.co/959EbS9bnz
📷Ocala Fire Rescue Station pic.twitter.com/7Rp8JgOEJM— Elizabeth Sanchez Vegas (@elhabito) June 23, 2023
Across the United States, the momentum continues to grow as communities recognize the significance of these life-saving initiatives.
Currently, there are 148 active Safe Haven Baby Boxes; at least 32 babies have already been rescued, according to People.
What pro-abortion advocates always fail to talk about is that every unforeseen pregnancy involves two lives.
And while the decision is often difficult and heartbreaking, choosing life has to be the only option there is.
In making the decision to have the child and then give her up for adoption, Zoey’s mother made the choice to protect the life of her child, and also brought unforeseen joy to a family she had never met.
Through the Safe Haven Baby Box, she ensured Zoey’s safety and in doing so, set in motion a remarkable chain of events that would change lives forever.
Zoey’s story carries the invisible fingerprints of divine intervention in a beautiful tale about a loved little girl and a family who desperately wanted her and is proof against the lie that abolishing abortion will lead to unwanted babies.
Zoey’s adoptive parents waited 10 years to have her, and now that they do, they extended their love to her birth mother by sharing this story in hopes that she would see it and know that her child is safe and loved.
Families are formed in many different ways.
In the case of Zoey and her firefighter, it took 10 years of preparation, a young woman brave enough to carry her baby to term, a community that cared enough to install a box for babies who needed help, and a little divine timing to ensure that the firefighter who was looking for a child was on duty the night Zoey was placed in the box.
As the firefighter said, “The way I found her… This was God helping us out.”
