A firefighter and his wife are now the proud, adoptive parents of a special infant whose life was saved thanks to a Safe Haven Baby Box in Belen, New Mexico.
Firefighter Christopher Martinez and his wife, Janae, had no idea how their lives would change when little Mikel made his sudden appearance on February 6, 2024, KOAT reported on Thursday.
Baby box adoption success storyChris and Janae Martinez just officially adopted baby Mikel this week. Mikel was…
Posted by Giuli Frendak on Thursday, March 13, 2025
Christopher was working on a call about a structure fire that resulted in the tragic death of an individual. The same day back at the firehouse, someone surrendered a baby at the baby box and Christopher said the infant was blue and in need of immediate treatment.
After caring for the him, Christopher called his wife and expressed how much he wanted to adopt the baby, saying, “I felt like a special connection with him.”
Since that time, the couple who have wanted a child of their own for a long time, has been working to legally adopt Mikel, KOB 4 reported on Friday.
Their dream came true on Monday when Mikel was officially adopted into their family.
Janae said, “I’m a real mom. And to me, that’s just the most incredible feeling to finally be a mom and fight, and for me, for us to, like, finally be a family. That’s what we’ve always wanted. So it’s just feels so good.”
An image shows the happy family with their son and supportive community:
This is Lt. Chris Martinez, a fireman from New Mexico, holding a little boy named Michael.
— LifeNews.com (@LifeNewsHQ) March 13, 2025
Michael was abandoned in the Safe Haven baby box at his fire station.
Now, Chris and his wife have decided to adopt Michael!https://t.co/8RE39D8hLW pic.twitter.com/vvxPztKD5F
According to the Safe Haven Baby Box website, the device is a safe and secure option for mothers who may find themselves unable to care for a newborn.
“Designed with innovative safety features and installed on the exterior walls of fire stations and hospitals, each box ensures the safe and anonymous surrender of infants,” the site read.
Meet Michael Martinez, a living example of how Safe Haven Baby Boxes work. Michael was left in the Belen Box a year ago and was just officially adopted by the Martinez family this week!
— New Mexico Senate Republicans (@NMSenate_GOP) March 13, 2025
Our work to expand access to these boxes across New Mexico is ongoing and we intend on… pic.twitter.com/IvRhwlyN8w
Thanks to the box in Belen and the choice someone made to safely surrender the little boy, he is now thriving.
“It was just God just putting him in our hands, and it’s just fate. We’re so grateful to those parents that made that decision to place him in the box,” Christopher stated.
