After adopting ‘baby box’ baby, Indiana family pushes to have one installed in their town
By Lauren Adams
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PAOLI, Indiana (WLKY) — Nola is an answer to a prayer after Tessa and Keegan Higgs tried for years to start a family.
They were already fostering a child named Jackson when they were notified by the Department of Children and Family Services that Nola had been surrendered in a Safe Haven baby box in the Fort Wayne area.
The couple filled out the paperwork. Four hundred other couples did too, but they were the ones to get the call.
“The caseworker called, telling us she wanted to be the first to congratulate our family on being selected,” Keegan Higgs, of Paoli, remembered.
The Higgs brought her home one month later. A few months after that, Jackson was officially part of their family, as well.
Tessa Higgs said she has always had a sense of gratitude for the way her family came to be.
Continuing coverage: Floyds Knobs unveils Safe Haven Baby Box as life-saving option for surrendering babies
She said of her daughter, “She was born a healthy weight, free of any substances. She was wrapped and clean in a warm towel and her mother actually breastfed her before handing her over, so I know she loved her and just, for whatever reason, she was unable to care for her.”
It’s why the family pushed for and helped fundraise for a Safe Haven Baby Box to be built in their hometown of Paoli, at the volunteer fire department. It will be opened Monday, on the second anniversary of Nola’s adoption.
“This is something good for the community. It’s going to be a great asset. I hope it’s never used, but if it is used, it’s paid for itself many times over,” Keegan Higgs said.
Paoli’s Safe Haven Baby Box is the 90th in the country.
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