Jesse Whitten, an officer of the Santa Rosa Police Department in California, came across a pregnant homeless woman when he was out on patrol in the year 2017.
He was completely unaware that one year later, he would be the father of the child that she was carrying at the time.
At that time, Whitten, who was 33 years old, was approached by the baby’s mother and asked if he and his wife would adopt the child. August 2018 marked the conclusion of the adoption process.
When Whitten was pregnant with her three daughters Reese, Kendall, and Stella, she had the opportunity to meet the birth mother of her daughter Harlow. In addition to her struggles with homelessness, the woman was also fighting an addiction to drugs.
Whitten stated to KTVU that the two of them had “developed a friendship in a strange manner.” “Whenever I came across her while on patrol and had to deal with her, we always had a conversation,”
One day, his wife Ashley Whitten accompanied him for a ride-along for some reason. That is when she first came into contact with the woman who was homeless.
“When my wife noticed the woman was pregnant, she placed my wife’s palm on her belly to feel who is now our daughter,” Whitten stated. “When my wife saw the woman was pregnant, she placed my wife’s palm on her tummy.”
The officer made the proposition to the woman, who was in her late 30s at the time, that she accompany him to the shelter. At one point, he even drove her to a clinic that provided detoxification and rehabilitation services. However, no of how many times she attempted it, she never managed to be successful.
Because it was obvious that the mother was unable to parent, the county asked the mother whether she wanted to make arrangements for Harlow to be placed in an emergency foster home. In lieu of that, she asked that they get in touch with Whitten.
The police officer got the call on Valentine’s Day, while the rest of their family was celebrating at a party. Even though the woman had earlier asked the officer and his wife if they would be willing to adopt her child, the officer had his doubts about her sincerity and didn’t believe she was telling the truth. It came out that she was serious about it.
That evening, the parents took a trip to the hospital to visit their new child, during which they left their daughters in the care of their pastor. They began their investigation by going to the birth mother’s room in order to learn her intentions.
“We pondered within, ‘Are you requesting that we keep her for all of eternity?’”
And she was saying, “I want you to have her for the rest of your life,” which was very interesting. Whitten reflected on the past.
“She said that she wants her to grow up in a caring and nice household, and she’d met both of us,” recalled Whitten. “She had a positive impression of both of us.”
The couple adopted the baby in a public ceremony on the 30th of August, 2018, in the presence of their other children, friends, and coworkers.
When the court asked the three girls if they wanted Harlow to be their sister, each of them responded with a resounding “yes.” Everyone who was there shared in the happiness of the event.
The Whittens chose to honor Harlow Maisey’s biological mother by retaining the middle name that she had been given by her biological mother.
Whitten clarified the meaning of the passage by stating that “This is to say, ‘She loved you and we loved you and we both named you.’”
This encounter motivated the pair to continue campaigning for children who are placed in foster care.
“Through our experience, we are so confident that no child is damaged and that they do not need us to fix them,” Ashley said. “We are so positive that no child is broken and that no child needs us to fix them.” “All they require is love,” we said.
Despite the fact that they already had three children of their own, this couple welcomed the newborn infant into their hearts and home. What a wonderful and wonderful family!
To learn more about this topic, please watch the video that has been embedded below.