Two severely abused girls have found a loving home with a Florida nurse.
Twin sisters, Delilah and Caroline, were admitted to a Jacksonville hospital for non-accidental trauma.
Nurse Jess Hamm first met 1-year-old Delilah at the pediatric intensive care unit at Wolfson Children’s Hospital.
“I was like ‘oh my gosh, I’m going to take her home.’”
Delilah had broken bones, a skull fracture and was severely malnourished, reported CBS. She couldn’t sit up or hold a bottle because she was too weak.
Hamm felt an instant bond with Delilah and decided to go through the Florida Department of Children and Families to begin the formal adoption process. It was then that she found out that Delilah has a twin sister, Caroline, who was also at the hospital.
Hamm cared for both girls at the hospital. She made the ultimate commitment and decided to adopt both of them.
Hamm, who always wanted to be a mum, hopes her story will inspire others who are considering adoption.
“I hope when people hear my story it opens them up to the possibilities of adopting,” she told CBS.
In a similar case, Kristine Hafner, a nurse from a hospital in Las Vegas, eventually adopted an abused boy she was taking care of.
When Hafner, a single mother, first met 11-month-old Alex he had horrific injuries.
The nurse, who works at Sunrise Hospital’s pediatric intensive care unit, cared for him at the hospital, took him to her home as a foster child, then adopted him as her own.
“He’s my hero. Truly. It just shows kids are resilient, and all he needed was some love and he just bounced back,” she said.
