I think it’s safe to file this story under “Going Above and Beyond the Call of Duty”…because a lot of folks out there wouldn’t do something this generous for their fellow human beings.
Here’s the story: a NICU nurse in Indianapolis named Katrina Mullen took it upon herself to adopt a 14-year-old girl who gave birth to triplets and had no support system. And if that wasn’t incredible enough, here’s the cherry on top: Mullen already has five children of her own.
It all started when Mullen, a single mother herself, noticed a 14-year-old mother of triplets named Shariya Small was always alone in the hospital where Mullen works as a nurse.
Mullen didn’t want to push Small because she realized the young mother wanted her privacy, but the two developed a bond as Mullen taught her about childcare. And Mullen said, “Something shifted after I told her that I was a teen mom. That’s when we really developed trust.”
Mullen and Small kept in touch after the triplets, Serenitee, Samari and Sarayah, were discharged from the hospital
It was later when Mullen visited Small at the home she was staying at that she realized something was wrong and the triplets weren’t being raised in the right environment.
The Department of Social Services (DSS) got involved after one of the babies became sick and had to be admitted to the hospital and that’s when things changed completely: DSS officials told Mullen that Small’s children were going to be removed from the house but that Small said she would come live with Mullen if she was willing to let it happen.
And Mullen agreed, even though three of her five children still live at home.
Mullen said, “I knew it would be impossible to find a foster home that would take all four of them. No one was going to take a teen mom and her preemie triplets. I just kept thinking, ‘I have to do this.’ I knew Shariya was intelligent and resilient and she just needed a safe place to put her roots. I knew it would be hard, but we’d figure it out.”
Enjoy this news video about this heartwarming story to get more info about these folks.
It’s enough to make a person cry!