The firefighter who discovered a baby in a Safe Haven box has successfully adopted her alongside his wife.
Baby Zoey was discovered in the box in Ocala, Florida by a firefighters station at Ocala Fire Rescue Station 1, with her umbilical cord tied off with a shoelace.
She was later adopted by the couple, after struggling with infertility for a decade.
Zoey's adoptive parents, who have asked to remain anonymous, expressed their gratitude to the baby's biological mother for choosing the Safe Haven option. The adoption took place in April via a Zoom proceeding.
The Safe Haven Baby Box, an initiative by Safe Haven Baby Boxes, provides a safe and anonymous way for parents to surrender newborns through "safe haven" laws.
Monica Kelsey, Founder and CEO of Safe Haven Baby Boxes, stated that this adoption is a best-case scenario and exemplifies the purpose of the boxes. These boxes, installed on government buildings, have been utilized by 10 babies this year, making it a record year for the organization.
Zoey's adoptive mother expressed her admiration for the baby's biological mother, saying, "I think it's very respectable, what she did."
She also mentioned that they wanted the birth mother to know that Zoey is safe, happy, and loved.
After discovering the baby, the firefighter immediately rushed her to the hospital and began the adoption process in consultation with his wife.
The couple patiently awaited the go-ahead to formally add Zoey to their family while staying by her side at the hospital.
To them, Zoey was a blessing after their long journey of trying to start a family. Zoey's new mother shared.
"Everyone was just in disbelief honestly that she was hand-delivered to us almost and that everything had kind of worked itself out to where we could bring her home two days later." she said.
Founder of Safe Haven boxes, Monica Kelsey expressed her satisfaction with the impact of the boxes, stating, "You know I never really looked at myself as someone who was going to change other people's lives, I just wanted to put a few boxes here in Indiana and save the two babies a year that we were finding deceased."
Ocala Fire Chief Clint Welborn commended the success of the process, affirming, "The process, the procedure worked."
Ocala Mayor Kent Guinn encouraged other cities to follow suit and integrate Safe Haven boxes into their hospitals or fire stations.
