It was a special reunion Wednesday morning between a Suffolk County police officer and a grateful mother, after a special delivery on Christmas Eve.
On the night of Dec. 24, Chelsea Anderson went into labor, but on the way to the hospital, baby Avion decided he was in a rush. Anderson and dad Richard Hammonds called for help, and described a complication: The baby's umbilical cord was wrapped around his neck three times.
That's when Officer Kyle Negrin came to the rescue to the couple who were in a car, on the side of the road.
"I was so scared, he can tell you. I was asking can we get there fast, how fast, can't we just get there. I was so scared, but he just held my hand and pulled me through it," Anderson said.
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Negrin described how his training and experience as an EMT kicked in while in the ambulance.
"You're supposed to put your hand by the head, and make sure there's an area where he can breathe. So I put my fingers between the cord and the neck," Negrin described. "The first loop came off easily but the the second loop was relatively tight. Once I got my fingers underneath it, I was able to spread them apart, loosen the cord."
Anderson said she was just simply grateful to have the officer's help. She knew about the umbilical cord being an issue and had scheduled a C-section — but Avion couldn't wait. He arrived three weeks early, tipping the scales at seven pounds, five ounces.
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"It ended up being a merry Christmas for Chelsea and their children," said Suffolk County Police Commissioner Rodney Harrison.
Negrin, a father of three of his own, said it was his first delivery in his eight years as a police officer — and a Christmas miracle he'll never forget.
"It was definitely an honor, probably the proudest moment of my career," Negrin said.
