Baby Delivered by Firefighters 18 Years Ago Joins Their Ranks as an Intern

Firefighters are famous for their heroic acts, ranging from rescuing cats from trees to delivering babies. Sometimes the men and women responsible for those honorable acts, come face to face with the very people they helped years later, and those moments are always incredibly touching. Recently, firefighters were even reunited with a baby they delivered, 18 years later, when he joined their ranks as an intern. 

18 years ago on New Year's Day, 2005, Lateshia Hall realized she was in labor with her 7th child, but knew she wouldn't get to the hospital in time. "It was obvious this baby wasn't waiting for anyone — he was on his way," she told The Washington Post. Her mother called 911 and a firetruck arrived at her house, delivering her son, O'Tavais "OT" Harris, a minute later. 

"His head suddenly appeared, and at 7:01 p.m., he was here and crying," she recalled. "The firefighters cut OT's umbilical cord, cleaned him up and handed him to me, then off they went." She didn't see them again for many years. "I really appreciated how those firefighters helped me." 

She didn't expect to see them again, but in mid-June, she received a Facetime from her 18-year-old son. "Mom, do you know this guy? Does he look familiar to you?" she recalled him saying, handing his phone to a man wearing a Knoxville Fire Department T-shirt.

It was one of the men who delivered her son. "He and OT were smiling and laughing," she said. "And I couldn't believe what a small world it was. This man had delivered my baby, and now OT was standing next to him? Incredible!"

After graduating from L & N Stem Academy high school, he was accepted into Knoxville's Summer in the City program, a paid internship giving students a chance to explore various city departments. "He doesn't even want to be a firefighter, so it was one in a million," Hall said about his random assignment to the fire department. 

According to her son, he was talking to the fireman, who asked him about his background. After telling him about how many siblings he had and where he lived, Faddis smiled. "He said, 'I delivered a baby there!'" And, because he knew the fire department delivered him, it made sense. 

"I'd held him in my arms and heard his first cry," said Faddis, 50. "It was the first time I'd ever helped deliver a baby, and I've only delivered one other since. When you get a call like that, you don't forget."

"They're heroes," she said. "I'm really glad we've been able to reconnect," the mom added. Faddis said he and Wilbanks feel honored that they now get to spend some quality time with Harris. "With jobs like ours, you don't get a lot of time to relish the moment. You're always off to the next call," Faddis said. "It's a real treat for us to get to know the young man we helped bring into the world 18 years ago," he said.