Firefighter Marc delivered a baby on the job—then gave the infant girl a loving home!
After two difficult pregnancies, Beth Hadden’s dreams of having a large family were dashed. But to her and her husband’s amazement, life had an incredible blessing in store . . .
Sitting in her doctor’s office, Beth Hadden replayed the conversation in her mind. “I’m sorry, but getting pregnant again is too risky,” her doctor said.
Though Beth understood why he had advised her against having more kids—her first two pregnancies had been difficult as she battled pre-term labor and had to be on extended bed rest—it still felt like a punch in the gut.
She and her husband, Marc, adored their two children, William and Parker, but they’d always dreamed of having a big family.
“There’s always adoption,” Beth told Marc hopefully.
But when they looked into it, the cost was far more than the Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, couple could afford on Beth’s teacher’s salary and what Marc made as a firefighter.
Beth let her tears fall as she realized her dreams had been crushed. Still, she knew how blessed they were to have two happy, healthy kids.
Yet as wonderful as life was, the hope to somehow grow their family never went away.
Instant connection
Then, one evening in November 2011, Marc and his crew responded to a 911 call about a woman with severe abdominal pain. When they arrived, they found she was in labor and the baby was coming— fast! They hurriedly loaded the woman into the ambulance, but, Marc realized, there was no time to make it to the hospital. Just moments later, the baby slid into Marc’s hands!
Fear rose in his chest when he realized the baby was struggling to breathe. Turning the infant over in his hands, Marc briskly patted her back.
Then, he saw her tiny chest heave, and she let out a strong cry. Marc breathed a sigh of relief as he clipped the umbilical cord.
As they sped to the hospital, Marc’s heart pounded. To help this tiny baby take her first breath . . .
“It was something I will never forget,” Marc says.
After dropping the woman off at the hospital, Marc couldn’t stop thinking about the baby girl. So when he returned to fill out paperwork a few hours later, he spoke to the nurses. The baby was doing well, they said, then told him that the mother was putting her up for adoption. “She’s all alone and says she can’t give her the life she deserves.” Marc felt a twinge of sadness. Before leaving, he stopped by the woman’s room to check on her. Then he went to the nursery and snapped a photo of the baby.
I just delivered a baby! he texted Beth, attaching the picture.
“Aww, how precious! Can we keep her?” Beth joked when she called him back.
“Actually, the mother is putting her up for adoption,” Marc replied.
Beth’s heart went out to her. She couldn’t imagine having to make such a brave, loving sacrifice.
She decided to visit the woman to see if she could get her anything. As they talked, the woman confided how hard it was to give her baby to strangers.
Beth could see the pain in her eyes. She tried to soothe the woman’s fears by explaining that couples who adopt are loving.
“Marc and I even looked into adopting a few years ago,” she added to help reassure her.
The woman was quiet a moment. Then to Beth’s shock, she said, “I want you to have my baby.”
Unexpected blessing
Beth felt a stirring in her heart. “What?” she blurted, thinking she must have misheard her.
The new mom explained that she knew Beth and Marc were good people—and they’d be good parents to her baby.
Yes, Beth nodded, as tears streamed down her cheeks. The woman asked a nurse to bring the baby into the room, and Beth cradled and fed the infant—her new daughter—her first bottle. “Thank you,” Beth choked. A short while later, she called Marc and announced, “We’re having a baby!”
Just 48 hours later, Beth and Marc took baby Gracie home. William, eight, and Parker, seven, were thrilled. “My turn to sit next to Gracie!” “No mine!” they’d argue every time they got in the car.
“They’re her biggest protectors,” Beth smiles.
Today, thanks to her birth mom’s incredible gift and the love of her family, five-year-old Gracie is a happy little girl. “She’s a daddy’s girl!” Beth says. “What we went through when she was born—the bond we have—it’s just indescribable,” Marc says.
Though most days are business as usual—getting Gracie to school or gymnastics or soccer— Marc and Beth realize how truly lucky they are for this unexpected blessing.
“Being chosen to be Gracie’s mom is an honor I can’t put into words,” Beth says. “When I think about how our family grew, it’s surreal. It’s like it was meant to be!”
Family is the most important thing world.” in the PRINCESS DIANA