When a South Carolina firefighter rescued a pregnant woman and delivered her baby girl, he had no idea he would end up adopting the newborn. Marc Hadden and his partner of the Myrtle Beach Fire Department responded to a 911 call about a woman having severe abdominal pains. The firefighters learned that the woman was actually going into labor and was about to have a baby.
Mother and baby
The baby was born in the back of an ambulance. As soon as the firefighters discovered that the baby wasn't breathing properly, she was rushed to a nearby hospital.
It was there that Hadden heard the doctors and nurses discussing that the baby would be put up for adoption. The father of two boys told them he would like to be considered to adopt the baby girl. Hadden was serious about the adoption, but he didn't think he would be the one selected to become the father of the baby he had just delivered.
Father of two becomes father of three
Less than 48 hours after the delivery, the father of two became a father of three. Hadden and his wife were granted custody without hesitation. They named her Gracie. Because this great event happened all of a sudden, people in the community pitched in to help with diapers, bottles, and other items the newborn needed. Hadden's two boys received the little girl as their baby sister, and the father admits she has him wrapped around her little finger.
Hadden has since retired from firefighting, but he counts the adoption of Gracie as one of the highlights of his career. He considered himself to have been at the right place at the right time to make a difference in the little girl's life, and surely she has made a difference in his life. Gracie became available for the Haddens at a time when they wanted to enlarge their family and had thought of adopting a baby girl anyway.
Because of the way things turned out for Marc Hadden, the Myrtle Beach Fire Department named him Firefighter of the Year. He is honored to have the title, but also said that there is no better reward than having Gracie as the daughter he has always wanted.
