Chelsea Anderson of New York was spending December getting ready to welcome her newest addition, a little baby boy, into the family.
Her c-section date was set for Dec. 27, which would allow her to spend Christmas Eve and Christmas with her family before they became a family of four.
But little Avion had his own plans, and he let Chelsea know he wanted to be a Christmas Eve baby.
When she started going into labor on Christmas Eve, Chelsea was terrified: She knew that her baby’s umbilical cord was wrapped around his neck, making birth a dangerous event.
She and her husband Richard Hammond headed for the hospital — but they soon realized they wouldn’t make it, pulled over and called 911.
Soon paramedic Eric Ramirez, Officer Kyle Negrin and Ridge Fire Commissioner Brian Brooks were on their way to the couple’s location. After picking Anderson up, they were still around 15 miles from the Stony Brook University Hospital, and they didn’t make it to their destination before Avion made his debut.
“When Negrin arrived at the scene and saw Chelsea in the back seat, his instincts kicked into play, his training, him being the father of three,” Suffolk County Police Commissioner Rodney K. Harrison said during a news conference, according to Fox News.
“He was able to calm Chelsea down, get Chelsea into a Ridge Fire Department ambulance –- but that was the easy part.”
“It was a very unexpected delivery,” Anderson confirmed. “I was very nervous, very scared, especially with the umbilical cord wrapped around three times.”
But thankfully the baby was born in the ambulance, and with the help of Ramirez and Negrin, he was quickly cared for and the cord was successfully removed from around his neck.
“It ended up being a Merry Christmas for Chelsea, Richard and their children,” Harrison said.
The whirlwind birth took place on Christmas Eve, and Anderson, Hammond and their two children met with one of their heroes for a public conference on Wednesday.
Negrin especially was appreciative for the positive outcome and the opportunity to be involved in something a little more up-beat than his normal fare.
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“Probably the proudest moment of my career, delivering Avion,” Negrin said of the assist during the news conference, according to Fox News. “And I am very appreciative that we get to meet everyone in this setting as opposed to the scary setting we had on Christmas Eve.
“Whether it be a fatal car accident, a shooting, a lot of negative things that police deal with, this was something nice and a good feeling to deal with.”
Anderson said the first responders made her feel comfortable, and she said that she was blessed. While paramedic Eric Ramirez was not able to make it to the news conference, Anderson commented on the Suffolk County Police Department’s post that she would love to meet with him again and thank him in person.
“We would love to meet whenever possible though to thank him and meet in a less stressful setting!” she wrote. “Thank you !!!”
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.
