Elderly Man Resues Abandoned Baby

Hannah Tennant-Moore — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 21:00:00 GMT

An 81-year-old man from a quiet Boston suburb stepped out to pick up the mail yesterday and was surprised to find a tote bag sitting on his doorstep. He was even more surprised by the contents of the bag: a newborn baby girl, sleeping peacefully. After John Tuckerman put his hand to the infant’s cheek and she stirred, he hurriedly called 911.

The baby was rushed to the hospital and is in excellent health. She had been cleaned and dried before she was abandoned, although her umbilical cord was still intact. Whoever abandoned her also left a pillow, a blanket, and a note asking that the baby be well cared for.

Newton police are trying to find the baby’s parents and hope that anyone with information about the newborn will come forward. This seems unlikely to me, however, since the parents could potentially face child abuse charges if they were identified.

Some are arguing that this case underscores the need to publicize Massachusetts’ Baby Safe Haven Law, which makes it legal to abandon an infant who is seven days old or younger at a police station, a firehouse, or a hospital. The parents or mother who abandoned this baby girl clearly cared about her welfare. It’s likely that they would have left her at one of these “safe havens” had they known about the law.

Fortunately, in this case the baby is unharmed and will go to a loving home.

Boy Dies After Being Granted His Last Wish

Hannah Tennant-Moore — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 15:35:00 GMT

Lorraine Fleming, whose son Reece died of cancer recently, is holding on to the comfort that Reece was granted his last wish before he died: to marry his school sweetheart.

After 8-year-old Reece, who had battled cancer for half of his life, was told that he had only a few weeks to live, he popped the big question to Elleanor Pursglove, his close friend of many years. She accepted, and on the appointed day, Elleanor arrived at Reece’s house in a wedding dress. Her mother acted as vicar as the school friends exchanged rings and vows. Reece, dressed in his favorite shirt, also presented Elleanor with a red rose.

Prior to getting “married,” Reece had told his mother, “I’m not ready to go yet.” But the night of the wedding, he seemed truly at peace. “Mum, I can go now,” he told Lorraine. He died the next day.

Reece had fulfilled many other life ambitions as well, such as riding in a Ferrari and a Porsche, having a pirate party, and spending a day at a fire station.

Photo: The Daily Mail

Strollerderby : fire station

Elderly Man Resues Abandoned Baby

Boy Dies After Being Granted His Last Wish