The vast majority of the time, when a baby is born an breakable bond is forged between mother and child. It’s the sort of bond that isn’t intentionally manufactured. No, it goes beyond that – it’s a natural bond stronger than any other.
I say the vast majority of the time instead of all the time, because there are instances in which a mom neglects her natural instincts.
Take, for example, the truly shocking case of a baby boy being buried in a park. Azita Milanian was out jogging with her two dogs on May 16, 1998… little did she know what she would uncover.
Having gone out jogging in the park with her two dogs, Azita Milanian could hardly be surprised when one of her four-legged friends picked up a scent near a pile of dirt.
She walked over to investigate and was left reeling by what she saw: A baby, buried alive, in the dirt.
What’s more, the newborn could only have been a few hours old. Azita, shocked, frightened and in disbelief, noticed that the little boy’s umbilical cord was still attached.
“I was kind of scared,” she said in a 1998 interview with the Los Angeles Times.
“I wrapped the baby in a towel and wiped the dirt from his face. I thanked God he was alive. The [umbilical] cord was hanging from his stomach.”
Azita immediately called 911 and began cleaning the baby’s mouth and nose to get rid of the dirt. Then she resorted to the only thing she could do: Pray he would survive.
“I was telling him it would be ok,” she said. “It took more than 30 minutes for help to arrive. I was pretty emotional. I didn’t want this child dying in front of me.”
The ambulance rushed the baby to hospital in critical condition and that was the end of Azita’s involvement. She often wondered what had happened to him, but had no idea of his fate.
2. Azita Milanian is reunited with Matthew Whitaker, the newborn baby she found abandoned on the side of a trail in Altadena 20 years ago. pic.twitter.com/l1ZFX5fNzU
— Yashar Ali 🐘 (@yashar) May 21, 2018
As it turned out, the baby fought for his life, astounding hospital staff with his resilience. Once he was well, Child Protective Services helped find him a loving adoptive home. He was named Matthew Christian Whitaker… and is now a 20-year-old college student.
Whitaker didn’t learn the details surrounding his precarious start to life until he was 17-years-old. He was keen to learn more about his biological family, and so a family friend emailed the Ryan Seacrest show to request a 23andMe DNA test.
One of the show’s producers, Patty Rodriguez, got wind of Whitaker’s story and made it her aim to reunite the student with the woman who saved his life all those years ago.
Fortunately, she was able to track down Azita, and on May 17 the pair saw each other almost 20 years to the day that Whitaker was found in the park.
It goes without saying that their meeting was an emotional one. Azita grabbed Whitaker’s hand as she fought back the tears while recounting her tale of the night. Meanwhile, Whitaker, now a student at the University of Arizona, was keen to focus on the positives.
“I’m here today. I’ve lived a great life. I was adopted into a great family,” Whitaker told the LA Times. “I couldn’t ask my parents for any more.”
What an inspiring story, and how great it is to see that the pair were able to reunite!
If you don’t believe in miracles then this may well change your mind. SHARE this story if it put a smile on your face, and help us pay tribute to Azita!
