Firefighter dad got critically injured on duty—first responders were not prepared for his plea for his NICU baby
Some things or people might become a person's reason to keep going in the hardest circumstances. For one firefighter, his will to stay alive after suffering serious burns came from his baby, who was still in the NICU. The firefighter dad, Caleb Halvorson, had just had a son with his wife, Hayley. The boy was born at 27 weeks and had to spend around 112 days in the NICU because he was born two months early. At the same time, Caleb suffered burns because of an on-duty accident. He had only one thing to say as the first responders tried to get him to safety and it made everyone emotional, per PEOPLE.
The baby was born quite early and weighed only 1 lb., 9 oz. "I had a really bad placenta. It was really small and it wasn't formed correctly. I went in for that 27-week checkup and Hudson had really limited blood flow. His heart rate kept dropping," Hayley explained. "There was no amniotic fluid. So they admitted me right then and there." The baby supposed to be born in September, was born in July and had to be in the NICU for 112 days as he got stronger. Both parents were busy looking after their baby in the NICU and doing their jobs when life threw them another huge curveball.
Caleb had gone to deal with a fire incident at a house when the garage collapsed on him. He was completely trapped under the debris of the burnt garage. "I didn't feel like I was gonna die because I couldn't breathe. It was because I was so hot. The beam that was lying across my chest and on my neck pushed me, looking at the fire and I couldn't move at all." The team struggled to get Caleb out. "I feel my officer trying to lift that beam off of me. It didn't budge an inch. Right then, I was like, 'Okay, is this it? This is how I go?'" He added, "I'm screaming, 'Get me outta here! Please. I'm burning! Get me out!' And I don't know how they got the pack off me. They tried to stand me up and I couldn't stand. I kept saying, 'My leg is broken.'"
Even after being in so much pain, Caleb could only think about Hudson, who was still in the NICU. "I was like, 'I have a kid in the NICU. Please don't let me die. Call my wife, please. Tell her I'm out. Give her the rundown.'" Hayley was told about the entire incident. She was later informed that her husband was being taken to Parkland Hospital in Dallas through a CareFlite. "I knew, if they're taking him to Parkland, it's bad," Hayley, a nursing student, remarked. The man was heavily sedated and had to go through a really painful treatment to treat his burns. Nonetheless, Caleb expressed, "I'm lucky and blessed to be alive and not have brain damage or be paralyzed or anything like that."
Caleb was in the burn unit for 34 days after the accident and Hudson was still in the NICU. Hayley divided her time between both of them while also attending nursing school. Hudson came home four days after Caleb and the family was really grateful for the moment. "That was the big thing that we were both looking forward to this whole time." Caleb had a long road to recovery and three surgeries. He hoped to continue firefighting after he got better. In the meantime, he was glad to spend time with his son. "I'll be able to see him and be with him and watch him grow and take his first steps and not miss anything." The community was able to raise $170,000 for the couple through "Help a Hero" funds as they tried to get their life back together.
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