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Couple adopts an abandoned infant, fulfilling their 15-year dream to become parents.
As with many fire departments, the Belen (New Mexico) Fire Department has a Safe Haven Baby Box, where a mother can anonymously surrender her baby.
Meanwhile, for 15-years Belen firefighter Chris Martinez and his wife Janae, desperately tried to become parents, but without success.
And then something remarkable happened:
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On February 6th, 2024 a new born baby boy was left in the Belen Safe Haven Baby Box.
This baby was blue, and shivering from the cold, his umbilical cord still attached. He weighed just 5 pounds, the same as a two-liter bottle of soda.
"I knew the moment I laid eyes on him that I wanted to be his dad," Chris told TODAY.com. "I was going to protect him."
Chris called Janae, and she told TODAY.com, "The first thing he said was, 'I'm crying right now,'" as he explained what had happened.
The couple had their foster parent certification, and were ready.
Chris and Janae with Mikel. Photo: krge.com
Two days after the baby arrived, they were approved to visit him at UNH Health System, where he was being treated for pneumonia and hypothermia in the neonatal intensive care unit [NICU].
They visited him each day of his 30-day hospital stay, and began calling him Mikel ["Michael"].
"He was in rough shape," said Chris. "He was so fragile and I fell in love with him," added Janae.
The Martinezes fostered Mikel and on March 10, 2025 legally adopted him as their son. Mikel has prospered, becoming a very active toddler and cuddling and giving kisses.
As for Mikel's birth mother, Janae said, "We want her to know that we are going to give Mikel the best life - that he deserves. He's such an amazing kid."
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