It is not a happiness that Shelby and Bruce have known, but two in the space of a few months. “Most couples have nine months to prepare for the arrival of a baby. We had nine days,” the dad, a 39-year-old police officer, told Fox News. And yet, this couple has had its share of difficulties in recent years. Faced with infertility problems, these Americans living in Indiana became a foster family and took care of Kaia, 8, for five years, before finally being able to adopt her last March.
Shelby and Bruce then thought they were enjoying their only daughter, but eight months later a phone call turned their lives upside down once again. On November 18, a one-day-old newborn was anonymously placed in a “baby box”, the “Safe Haven Box” at a Chicago hospital. Illinois law allows mothers to abandon their child up to 45 days after birth, without risk of prosecution. A device that was born in Woodburn, Indiana, in April 2016.
Little Myah was placed in a “baby box”
Since then, six other American states have installed “baby boxes” in fire stations or hospitals. Displaying a constant temperature, they are equipped with an alarm which is triggered as soon as an infant is deposited. The Safe Haven Boxes are also equipped with side access which allows medical professionals to access the child to provide first aid.
After picking up baby Myah from a Chicago hospital, child welfare services set out to find foster parents who could care for the infant and provide her with love. Very quickly, they think of Shelby and Bruce, because the couple was still in their listing. Perfect candidates for adoption, Shelby being a nurse and therefore able to take care of Myah, who suffered a stroke after her abandonment and who can potentially have neurological problems or have seizures.
The parents thank the biological mother who gave them this beautiful gift
“We talked a lot with my husband and we came to the conclusion that we were able to welcome this baby, because I have a good experience in the medical field”, confirms Shelby, 35 years old. Since then, fortunately, the little girl is doing like a charm and makes her parents happy, who do not know how to thank the biological mother who gave them this beautiful gift. “We will be eternally grateful to him for having made this choice. It is so courageous”, confides Bruce.
“I can’t imagine what she felt when she dropped off her baby,” says his wife, who says she is ready to give this woman a place in Myah’s life if she asks for it. Husband and dad fulfilled, Bruce has every intention of telling his whole story to his second daughter when she is older. “But all he has to do is go to Google to find out more!” A beautiful Christmas story.
Shelby and Bruce Faltynski © INSTAGRAM SHELBYFALTYNSKI
