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Firefighter Adopts Baby Girl He Delivered After He Saved Her Life

Firefighter Adopts Baby Girl He Delivered After He Saved Her Life

South Carolina firefighter Marc Hadden adopted his daughter Grace after it became clear her mother would put her up for adoption.

Chris Ogden

Chris Ogden

Contrary to their name, firefighters aren't just known for fighting fires. They are also genuine lifesavers and all-round legends.

Firefighter Marc Hadden certainly fits that category, as he adopted a baby girl two days after delivering her and saving his mother's life.

Marc, from Myrtle Beach, South Caroline, delivered Rebecca Grace on 14 November 2011 after the girl's mother - a single mum - called the emergency services complaining of abdominal pain.

Amazingly, he ended up taking her home as her father two days later after the birth mother made it clear she couldn't care for her daughter.

Credit: YouTube/WMBF

"She struggled from the minute she was put in my hands," Marc, 48, told People magazine. "It was amazing to hear her cry."

Marc and his wife Beth already had two children - Will, now 15 and Parker, now 13 - and had always wanted a third, but were forced to consider adoption after the first two pregnancies proved difficult.

So when the opportunity came just hours later, Marc snapped up the opportunity to make Gracie his own. Quite the commitment, that.

Beth, an instructional coach at the local elementary school, made the effort to visit the mother the next day at the hospital after hearing of her plight.

But as a doctor confirmed the adoption could move forward, Grace's mother suddenly had doubts about giving her baby to someone she'd never met. It does seem like moving a bit fast, you have to admit.

"Suddenly the opportunity was there for me to say that Marc and I had been praying about adoption for years," Beth said. "And she looked over at me and said, 'I want you to adopt my baby.'

"She had the nurse bring her in and I was able to hold Gracie for the first time. I called Marc and said, 'I think we just had a baby.'"

By the end of the day, the couple had signed for temporary custody and brought her home just 48 hours after she was born.

Credit: YouTube/WMBF

Although Grace has now spent the first six years of her life a firm part of the Hadden family, her mum and dad have made sure that she never forgets the story behind how they came to be her parents.

"We told her pretty much from day one," says Marc. "I've taken her to the back of the ambulance where she was born, so she knows - no doubt about it."

As a budding gymnast, Grace may be a girly girl, but according to her mum, she's also a 'tough little joker' due to the influence of her two big brothers.

And Marc and Beth are still amazed by their luck in being able to welcome Gracie into their lives.

"I've always wanted a daughter, and this is just amazing," said Marc.

Beth added: "Sometimes the best things in life happen in the blink of an eye - and you can't let them pass you by."

What an amazing story.

Featured Image Credit: YouTube/WMBF

Topics: News, Firefighter, US News