They say that raising a child can feel like having your heart exist outside of your body. That's why, for most parents, there are few greater nightmares than the discovery that their child has a serious illness. Unfortunately, that tragic scenario recently became reality for Chris and Sarah St. James.
While the couple's infant daughter, Sloan, initially appeared to be as happy and healthy as they come, it wasn't long before something changed. Seemingly out of nowhere, she was developing a "Buddha belly" that wouldn't stop growing.
After doctors explained what was happening, the new parents realized desperate times called for desperate measures...
For Chris St. James and his wife, Sarah, life in the sleepy Cape Cod town of Bourne, Massachusetts, could not have been happier. They had a wonderful relationship and an amazing son, Carter. Yet things were about to get even better.
That was all thanks to the arrival of their second child, Sloan! With their new baby girl in the picture, Chris and Sarah's lives were truly blessed. Only, it wasn't long before the family noticed something strange about Sloan...
By the time Sloan was just two months old, she had developed a "Buddha belly" and she looked slightly jaundiced. Up to that point, she had been developing normally and all seemed well, but her rapidly growing tummy was unusual.
Chris and Sarah were so concerned that they took Sloan straight to the hospital rather than their regular pediatrician. Unfortunately, once there, the news they received was not pleasant...
The doctors at Boston Children's Hospital diagnosed Sloan with biliary atresia, a rare disease of the liver that damages or blocks the bile ducts. All of a sudden, baby Sloan's life was in serious danger.
Obviously, the parents were heartbroken. "Here we are thinking we’re bringing her in for peace of mind, and instead it was devastating," Sarah later recalled in an interview with the Sentinel Source.
It was truly a nightmare for the family. "Your mind blocks out that it could be this, this and this. Instead, it was this, this and this—everything we dreaded came true," Sarah continued.
Sloan was released from the hospital, but unfortunately, she needed to be rushed back the very next week. This time, Chris and Sarah were given even worse news: Sloan needed a liver transplant—now.
Sloan was put on a waiting list, but as her condition grew worse, there was no time to waste. She'd surely die if she didn't have surgery as soon as possible, and only a living donor could give her a real shot at pulling through.
There was just one major problem: Sloan had blood type O—and neither of her parents were matches. They were forced to ask just about everybody they knew in hopes that somebody—anybody—would help save her.
This was a lot to ask, and even those who were willing to undergo the procedure may not have been good candidates. Yet when a friend of the family, Jake Tenney, shared the couple's request on his own social media pages, an incredible thing happened...
Jake's brother, Lt. Steve Tenney, took notice. Steve was a veteran of the U.S. Army, as well as an 18-year member of the police department in Keane, New Hampshire—and he immediately stepped up to the plate.
This wasn't the first time Steve had put his own life on the line to save another. Still, it was remarkable what this good Samaritan was willing to do for a little girl and family he'd never even met.
Luckily, Steve was in excellent health. In his whole life, he'd never even stayed overnight in a hospital. Heck, he reportedly hadn't even felt the need to visit a doctor in more than 10 years!
Before Steve could be approved for the procedure, he needed to undergo a series of tests. Doctors needed to determine if they could remove his liver so that they could cut off roughly 20 percent of it before placing it back in his body—without putting him at risk.
"I was in a good position," Steve explained. "My wife and I talked and it was really a no-brainer—if you can help a four-month-old and potentially save her life, it's something you're going to do."
As brave a face as Steve was putting on, he admitted that the night of his first exams worried him a great deal. "I went home and I was like, 'What the hell am I doing?'" he explained.
Fortunately, both Steve and Sloan's surgeries were successful, and since livers have the unique ability to regenerate themselves, Steve's was expected to be back to normal soon. Meanwhile, Sloan's liver would grow as she developed. The fight didn't end there, however...
Sloan needed a variety of medications to avoid infection and prevent her body from rejecting the new organ. Thankfully, a few months later, she was already drinking breast milk again. That was a good sign!
There's no telling what the future holds for Sloan or her family, but she's doing better than anyone expected. But little did the family know that just miles away, another police officer was facing a similar dilemma.
As a police officer, Jesse Whitten was often behind the wheel patrolling the streets of Santa Rosa, California. A father raising his three daughters in the community, Jesse took his role to protect and serve seriously.
On his route, he usually passed Coddingtown Mall, a local shopping facility. There, Jesse frequently came across a young woman that he couldn't get out of his mind.
The woman, Maisey, was homeless and struggling with addiction. One day, Jesse struck up a conversation with her, and the two became friendly. Yet despite her obvious troubles, there was something else about Maisey's situation that left Jesse with lingering concerns.
Maisey was also expecting a child. "It's not every day you see someone who’s homeless and pregnant," Jesse recalled. As a cop, he'd seen many difficult situations, but as a father, he sympathized with Maisey's struggle.
After learning more about her life, Jesse realized he knew Maisey's two other children from a foster youth camp. This newfound connection furthered his sense of duty to help her through her difficult circumstances.
Jesse brought Maisey to several shelters and drug rehabilitation centers so she could have a warm bed, and detox safely. But, he still felt compelled to do more, so he took Maisey to a hospital for a prenatal checkup and ultrasound.
Glowing with joy, Maisey learned she was expecting a baby girl. As a token of appreciation, she gave the ultrasound image to Jesse to keep. She never forgot his lack of judgment and unconditional kindness. She trusted him.
Despite Jesse's attempts at intervention, Maisey continued to battle her addiction and remained on the streets throughout her pregnancy. He made efforts to check on her whenever he saw her while on patrol.
One summer night in 2017, Jesse took his wife Ashley along on his patrol ride when they spotted Maisey. He had confided in Ashley his concerns for the young homeless woman, so naturally, they stopped to check in on her.
Ashley remembered vividly placing her hand on Maisey's belly and feeling the baby girl in the womb. She hoped the little girl still had a chance. Little did they know how meaningful that moment would become...
Because on Valentines Day 2018, Ashley answered a phone call and heard some powerful news she never quite expected. The county was calling because Maisey had given birth and her child had to be placed in emergency foster care.
Jesse knew Maisey attempted many times to overcome her addiction, but ultimately the baby was born with drugs in her system. Coupled with her homelessness, the county had no choice but to seek foster placement.
When Maisey was asked if she had anyone who could care for her baby, she insisted that the Whittens were the best choice. Stunned, Jesse remembered Maisey offhandedly asking if he would consider taking her baby in, but he assumed she wasn't serious!
Frantically, the Whittens called their pastor to come to babysit their three daughters, Reese, Kendall, and Stella. Ashley and Jesse rushed to speak with Maisey about her decision at the hospital.
"I knew you had daughters. I knew you were firm, but you were fair," Jesse remembered Maisey telling him that day. "She had this vision of her daughter playing in a tutu with her sisters. That's what she said she wanted."
Still, Ashley and Jesse wanted Maisey to be sure. They wondered, "Are you asking us to keep her forever?" She firmly insisted she wanted her daughter to be raised and loved by kind people.
The moment Jesse held the infant in his arms, he was flooded with love. They knew the baby girl was destined to be part of their family. She was the perfect match.
In August of 2018, the new baby girl officially became part of their family. A Sonoma County judge asked the three biological Whitten daughters if they wanted a new sister. Together they gave a resounding, "Yes!"
The Whittens told the judge that the now seven-month-old's name was Harlow Maisey. Her birth mother chose her middle name, and they kept it to honor her and the sacrifice she made out of love.
Baby Harlow coming into their lives empowered Ashley and Jesse to encourage others to consider adoption or fostering children. They hadn't set out to become fosters, but when the call came, "we showed up."
Ashley shared in a television interview, "Through our experience, we are so sure that no child is broken and they don't need us to fix them. They just need love." Amazingly, Officer Whitten isn't the first cop to step in like this...
In 1989, officer Michael Buelna cruised into one of the rougher neighborhoods of Santa Ana, California. He was performing a routine scan of the area after a stabbing, but the humdrum case took a turn when locals waved him towards an alley.
Michael didn't see anything out of the ordinary at first, but he picked up on "a sound of a very low meow, like a cat or something." He followed the noise to its source, between a dumpster and a wall. Michael could hardly believe his eyes.
It was a wailing infant, lying face down and exposed on the asphalt. To his horror, Michael noticed the umbilical cord was still attached. Thinking quickly, Michael radioed for immediate medical assistance.
The discovery shook Michael to the extent that he wasn't willing to simply hand over the baby to the EMTs. Instead, he rode in the ambulance while a police escort guided them to the hospital as quickly as possible.
Fortunately, Michael acted in the nick of time. Although the newborn was suffering from hypothermia, the medical team expected him to make a full recovery. But there were still unanswered questions.
A nurse turned to Michael and mentioned the baby, only a few hours old, needed a name. After conferring, they settled on Adam. It was somehow appropriate for this miracle infant that seemingly popped up out of nowhere.
Michael and Adam shared a tender moment together that night in the hospital, but the police officer soon had to head out and resume his duties. So what would happen to Baby Adam?
Even though the local news publicized the incredible baby rescue, authorities were unable to locate a responsible family member to raise Adam. Like so many other abandoned children, he was put up for adoption.
Before too long, however, the infant's luck turned around. Elizabeth Barton and Daniel Fernandez — top candidates among couples looking to adopt — took him in as part of their family. Once they brought him home, they bestowed him with a new name: Robin Barton.
Although Robin spent the first few hours of his existence scared and alone, Elizabeth and Daniel made sure he never felt abandoned again. Looking back, Robin agreed that some higher power had blessed him with a great family.
Through all his blissful childhood years, Robin did not have the faintest idea about his miraculous rescue. Elizabeth and Daniel kept his origins a secret so Robin could be a normal kid. But as he got older, he started asking questions.
Once Robin reached maturity, Elizabeth understood it was time to share the whole story with him. She told him everything about the adoption and the brave police officer who saved him, even though she feared this revelation would shatter their family.
But Robin didn't show any resentment or anger. He was nothing but grateful that Daniel and Elizabeth gave him such a wonderful family, though he proposed one interesting idea. Robin wanted to meet the policeman who found him in the alley.
Meanwhile, Michael Buelna served with the Santa Ana police until he stepped down in his 50s. Michael enjoyed his retirement, though his thoughts often turned back to that infant he discovered years ago. One day in 2015, a call came in from a member of his old force.
The officer asked if Michael remembered Adam. Of course, he did. But what the retir-ed officer didn't see coming was the invitation to meet with Adam — now Robin — for the first time in 25 years. How could he say no?
When the two men first came face-to-face, they didn't know quite what to say. There was nothing that could be said. They just embraced. Then, Michael dropped a bombshell.
Michael explained why he felt so motivated to ensure that Robin would survive: it turns out that Michael's own parents left him at a young age! Based on his own hardships, he couldn't bear to see another child grow up without a family. And as a matter of fact, Robin's family was about to get a whole lot bigger.
Robin's reunion with Michael got huge press coverage, which allowed him to track down other people from his past. Soon after, he met his birth father, Marcos Meza, who learned about the story on TV.
Marcos also introduced Robin to his daughters! Within a few weeks, the baby who was once left to die found himself suddenly surrounded by more family than he could ever imagine. All Robin was missing was his mother.
As it turns out, Robin's birth mother was out of reach. After Sabrina Diaz spent years in prison for child abandonment, the government deported her to Mexico. Nevertheless, Robin doesn't see his mother as a villain.
Maybe Robin will be able to connect with his mother someday, but for now, he knows he's incredibly lucky. What could be better than spending time with the parents who raised him, the family who lost him, and the hero who gave him a chance at life?
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