{"id":12377,"date":"2023-07-18T14:43:53","date_gmt":"2023-07-18T18:43:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/inspirationreport\/?p=12377"},"modified":"2023-07-18T14:43:53","modified_gmt":"2023-07-18T18:43:53","slug":"god-definitely-put-her-in-our-lives-firefighter-adopts-baby-he-rescued-from-a-florida-safe-haven-drop-box","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/inspirationreport\/2023\/07\/god-definitely-put-her-in-our-lives-firefighter-adopts-baby-he-rescued-from-a-florida-safe-haven-drop-box.html","title":{"rendered":"\u201cGod definitely put her in our lives.\u201d Firefighter Adopts Baby He Rescued From a Florida Safe Haven Drop Box"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>
Safe Haven Baby Boxes | Inset: Ocala Fire Rescue<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The family of the first newborn rescued by a Florida Safe Haven Drop Box has shared their miraculous story of adoption with the world. The firefighter, who has only revealed himself by his first name, Vincent, was working at the Ocala Fire Rescue on January 2nd when he heard the silent alarm go off for the Safe Haven box that had been installed at the firehouse two years earlier. \u201cTo be honest, I thought it was a false alarm,\u201d Vincent <\/span>recalled<\/span><\/a>\u00a0of the incident. But he found that baby safe and snug inside. \u201cI picked her up and held her. We locked eyes, and that was it. I\u2019ve loved her ever since that moment,\u201d he said. Vincent and his wife, Katie, had been struggling for a decade to have a baby and were registered to adopt in the state of Florida.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Vincent went with the baby to the hospital for a mandatory examination and left a note with her for the doctors, describing his hope to adopt her. Katie burst into tears after Vincent called her to tell her of the incident. \u201cI was like, \u2018Don\u2019t get too excited yet. My biggest fear was that the note I wrote wouldn\u2019t stay with Zoey, and she\u2019d be gone. It was a very stressful few days,\u201d Vincent told \u201c<\/span>Today.<\/span><\/a>\u201d The baby, now named Zoey, came to live with the couple two days later. Her adoption was finalized in April. \u201cGod definitely put her in our lives and gave us the opportunity to adopt her,\u201d said Vincent.<\/span><\/p>\n

The couple states they were sharing their story to bring awareness to the boxes and to let Zoey\u2019s birth mother know she is okay. \u201cIt\u2019s about this beautiful little girl who was given the chance of life, and that she\u2019s been adopted, she\u2019s loved, and hopefully her birth mother sees it and recognizes that she did the right thing. She doesn\u2019t have to worry anymore. Her daughter\u2019s taken care of and is loved beyond words,\u201d said Vincent. Monica Kelsey, who founded the Safe Haven Boxes, had equal praise for Zoey\u2019s family in January when she was first found. \u201cWe want to address the parents who legally surrendered this infant. And right now, I\u2019m going to talk directly to her or him. 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.\u201d There are nearly 150 Safe Haven Boxes throughout the US, with 31 babies having been surrendered safely. The box at Ocala is currently the only box in the state of Florida. \u201cIt\u2019s a gift from God, that\u2019s all it is,\u201d said Vincent. \u201cThere\u2019s nothing else to explain it.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The family of the first newborn rescued by a Florida Safe Haven Drop Box has shared their miraculous story of adoption with the world. The firefighter, who has only revealed himself by his first name, Vincent, was working at the Ocala Fire Rescue on January 2nd when he heard the silent alarm go off for…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":664,"featured_media":12383,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fbia_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12377","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-inspiring-messages"],"yoast_head":"\n\u201cGod definitely put her in our lives.\u201d Firefighter Adopts Baby He Rescued From a Florida Safe Haven Drop Box<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A Florida firefighter adopts baby her rescued from a Safe Haven Box.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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