Every child is a blessing. But not all mothers have enough resources to care.
And that’s precisely what Safe Haven Baby BoxesIndiana is for: To provide mothers in crisis with a safe place to leave their newborns without shame or blame.
These baby boxes were installed at fire stations and allowed Tessa Higgs and Keegan Higgs to complete their family.
The dream of parenthood was once a distant dream, but it is now a wonderful reality for the couple.
“I can’t imagine anything better than having Jax and Nola. Like, I just can’t imagine life without them,” Tessa said about her children.
They now have a family of four thanks to a mom who recognized that her baby would have a better chance with another family.
In 2019, a baby box brought Tessa and Keegan their final blessing—Nola, who is now three years old.
The program allows struggling mothers to give their babies away without any judgment.
“She’s my hero. I mean, if I could meet her (Nola’s biological mom) today, I’d give her a big hug and, you know, I couldn’t thank her enough,” said Keegan, a volunteer firefighter in Paoli.
The Higgs had tried for years to start their own family. Jax, their oldest child, was being cared for by the Higgs. They learned that Jax had been abandoned in northern Indiana.
The child’s mother, whose identity is concealed under the Safe Haven law, chanced upon a baby box billboard and called the hotline to ask for help.
Tessa said that Nola was very loved by her biological mom. The baby was healthy in weight and was not given any substances. She was wrapped in a warm blanket.
“We have the towel. It’s the only connection we have to her biological mom. She also breastfed her baby before surrendering, so we know she was loved,” she said.
Out of 400 individuals who applied to be Nola’s parents, the Higgs were ultimately chosen after a panel interview with nine people with DCS.
They brought Nola home a week later. Both children are now officially adopted.
“I couldn’t imagine our life without Nola. So, I mean, our family, in my eyes, is complete!” Keegan said.
These happy endings are why Monica Kelsey started the program.
“When I look at my own life, being abandoned as an infant, in an era where there was no safe haven law, and now we’ve created this to allow these mothers the anonymity that they want, it is very fulfilling to see the life that I saved simply because my life was saved,” she said. “Seeing Nola grow up happy and healthy and beautiful has been part of my mission all along.”
Keegan, who has seen firsthand the benefits of Safe Haven Baby Boxes for families, is doing his part in ensuring that the mission continues.
He installed the first babybox at a Paoli volunteer fire station last fall.
The law was changed in July 2021 to allow volunteer departments the ability to install a child-proof box if they meet specific criteria.
“They have to be within a mile of a hospital or EMS station, have to have a four-minute response time and there has to be a camera on the inside of the box, so a camera’s on a baby at all times until someone can get to the child,” Tessa explained.
Since 2016, 19 babies were left in Indiana baby boxes and 121 were surrendered to a nurse or a firefighter in person.
There are 110 boxes currently in the state. The most recent was installed this month in Mitchell. The installation ceremony was attended by the Higgs.
Click on the video to learn more about the Higgs family’s baby box story.
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