Unsplash / NWF Daily News

Mom Decides To Keep Baby Born With Defects After Adoptive Parents Have Change Of Heart

Sometimes we don't plan how our lives will turn out. It's hard to plan and ensure that it all stays on track, especially when the hand of fate is just out of view waiting to tug you away.

It's what this mother dealt with during her pregnancy, thinking she wasn't ready for another kid and opting to give it up for adoption. All seemed OK until the baby was born with a defect and the adoptive parents ran away.

And then things got better.

The Original Plan

Unsplash | Tim Bish

The original plan for Christina Fisher was to give her child up for adoption when she found out she was pregnant in 2016. The 36-year-old says she was basically homeless before the baby was born and wasn't in any shape to raise a child.

Wasn't Ready To Raise Alone

According to NWF Daily News, Christina was not ready to start again:

Christina was living at Playground RV and found herself “basically homeless” toward the end of her pregnancy when the park closed.

Fischer and Abigail’s father were not in a relationship when she got pregnant. She had thought she was done with babies and little kids.

Her daughter, Debra, is 18 and finishing high school in Louisiana, where Christina’s family lives.

Adoptive Mother Flees

So tests were done, an adoptive family from Georgia were set to take the child, and all seemed well until the baby was born:

The prenatal tests were normal.

“Nothing was detected, they just told me her ears looked a little small,” she recalled of the prenatal testing.

On Jan. 6, Christina was admitted into Sacred Heart Hospital for pre-eclampsia. She called the family who arrived a day later and stayed until Abigail was born on Jan. 11.

“I let her (adoptive mom) take the other wristband into the NICU,” Christina said. “She came out crying, looked at Debra and left the hospital. We never heard from them again.”

Meant To Be

Unsplash | Derek Thomson

According to Christina, though, this wasn't a sign that things were bad. It was a sign that she was meant to be this child's mother and care for it.

Pure Love

As she describes it, there is nothing but pure love for her daughter, Abigail Lynn Fisher. She couldn't reject something so sweet and almost seemed to become instantly connected:

Christina doesn’t see Abigail’s deformities. She sees “a little angel” and a “princess.”

“I can’t imagine my life without her,” she said.

Christina said what she remembers most from that day is Debra walking into the recovery room crying. It was then that she decided to keep her five-pound baby girl.

Amazing Baby

Unsplash / NWF Daily News

Christina claims that Abigail is an amazing baby and she's lucky to have her in her life:

“I’ve been very fortunate,” she said. “I don’t need a glamorous lifestyle. I just need enough to take care of her.”

Christina said she doesn’t plan on telling Abigail about the almost adoption.

“No,” she said quickly. “That kind of rejection from someone so shallow ... she doesn’t need to know about it.”

In a way, she’s thankful for the family because “now I got her,” Christina said.

“They missed out on the most amazing baby in the world.”

Needs Going Forward

The defect that Abigail faces is Treacher Collins syndrome -- a disease that affects the bones and muscles in the face. But apart from the cosmetic and appearance issues, the disease does not affect the brain:

About one in 50,000 children are born with the condition.

Abigail’s big brown eyes slant downward, her ears are small and malformed. Down the road, she may need cochlear implants. Abigail puts her ears on her mother’s mouth when she’s talking to hear the vibrations of her voice...

“It wears her out just to eat so I have to make sure I’m giving her extra calories so she’s gaining weight,” Christina explained,

Help Raising

Unsplash | rawpixel

And while she was homeless when she became pregnant, Christina has since been able to move in with a friend who is helping to raise the young child:

When it comes to Abigail’s doctor’s appointments, she’s been relying on friends to drive since her 1993 truck isn’t a safe ride for the infant.

A nurse comes by three times a week to check on Abigail. Christina’s roommate also helps watch Abigail when she goes to work at Arby’s.

“I’ve been very fortunate,” she said. “I don’t need a glamorous lifestyle. I just need enough to take care of her.”

She Saves My Life Everyday

In the end, it's the selfish act of those adoptive parents that likely brought about more happiness than anybody could've imagined:

“She saves my life every single day, just like my 18-year-old did,” she said. “She doesn’t know how much she means to me ... she’ll understand one day.”

Support

Unsplash | Mandy von Stahl

People who've read the story are sharing their support for Christina and her baby. One commenter said:

What a cutie. She's so beautiful! Such a beautiful, peaceful smile. God was lookin'-out for you, mom! God bless you both.

Not Alone

Unsplash | freestocks.org

Another commenter shared her own story of knowing someone with this syndrome:

Congratulation on you beautiful baby girl. I once cared for a young boy from Poland who had the same disorder. I was able to contact physicians from Operation Smile and we took him to Miami to Baptist Hospital. They were able to grow ears on the back of a mouse, and did cochlear implants. I will never forget him, when he came here he had three wishes, to join the FBI, to have ears, and to have a mom. He wound up with all three. God Bless Mama!

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