Beyond the Box
Beyond the Box with Monica Kelsey is a powerful podcast dedicated to raising awareness, educating the public, and advocating for change in the fight against infant abandonment. Hosted by Monica Kelsey, Founder and CEO of Safe Haven Baby Boxes, this podcast dives deep into real stories, expert insights, and the life-saving impact of Safe Haven laws and baby box programs across the country.
Each episode features compelling conversations with firefighters, legal experts, healthcare professionals, policymakers, adoptive families, and even mothers who have used Safe Haven Baby Boxes. Together, they shed light on the challenges, victories, and ongoing efforts to provide safe, legal, and anonymous surrender options for parents in crisis.
From heartwarming rescue stories to policy discussions shaping the future, Beyond the Box is a must-listen for anyone passionate about saving lives and supporting vulnerable infants.
Beyond the Box
Saved In A Box, Raised In Love
Two alarms changed everything—one to a fully involved fire, and one to a life waiting in a baby box. We sat down with the Martinez family in Albuquerque to share the raw, unedited journey from infertility and foster‑care training to the moment a five‑pound newborn arrived at their station and rewrote their future. What followed was a whirlwind of NICU nights, confusing protocols, and a simple vow to keep showing up. Along the way, we talk openly about grief from the fatal blaze, the moral courage of a birth mother who chose safety and anonymity, and the quiet heroism of first responders who train for a moment they hope they never miss.
We pull back the curtain on safe haven laws, baby boxes, and why anonymous surrender can be the difference between tragedy and a second chance. The Martinezes describe the emotional whiplash of placement—“you have him,” “you don’t,” “you can visit”—and the steady faith that carried them to adoption day. You’ll hear about bottle feeds and monitors, a name chosen to honor a lost brother, and the day cardiology said, “This is the last time you’ll see us.” We don’t skip the hard parts: addiction’s grip, identity questions for adopted kids, and the delicate balance between privacy and telling a story that can save lives.
What emerges is a love letter to community: firefighters ready to respond, ICU nurses who teach first baths, caseworkers finding their way, and listeners who care enough to advocate for safe, practical options. If you’ve ever wondered whether baby boxes work, or how faith, policy, and perseverance meet in the real world, this conversation offers an honest map—and a reason to hope. Subscribe, share this episode with someone who needs a lift, and leave a review to help more families discover safe haven resources and real‑world stories like Mikey’s.
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This is Monica Kelsey from Beyond the Box. I am in New Mexico with my friends here in Albuquerque. You guys don't want to miss this episode. It is a family that was blessed by a baby that showed up in a box. Well, welcome to Beyond the Box.
SPEAKER_05:Thank you for having us.
SPEAKER_02:But I come today because I wanted to talk to you guys about your story. And so, um, which is just amazing, just absolutely amazing. So for the viewers who don't know who you are, why are you so important to Monica Kelsey?
SPEAKER_05:Uh for Michael.
SPEAKER_02:Michael.
SPEAKER_05:The baby.
SPEAKER_02:So Michael, so okay, so so let's go before Michael. So let's start from the very beginning. So you guys have been married for 16 years now. 16 years. And so, and Michael's your only child. Yeah. So why did you guys choose adoption?
SPEAKER_00:We unfortunately had to struggle with infertility for such a long time. And um, you know, after a while, it's like, okay, I'm probably not gonna be a mother. And so we were just trying to figure out what was gonna be next for us, and that's whenever we decided to become foster parents. We had no idea what was ahead. We had no idea, you know, what kiddos, you know, we could possibly um be fostering, but we just know that we were ready, we were ready to be parents and we were ready to have a family. And um, the way it happened was just so crazy and so unpredictable, but um I wouldn't change a thing. We're just so blessed.
SPEAKER_02:Well, and for those who are watching us on YouTube, we have a little one running around. So if the cameras shake or something happens, um this is real life. This is what you get when you deal with raw and real, and that is what we have today is a one and a half year old running around. So uh if something shakes, just deal with it, right?
SPEAKER_05:Yeah, he's in the the crazy phase right now.
SPEAKER_02:Crazy phase. So, okay, so um you guys you guys got a baby box in Berlin. And uh I came down, we did training, uh, we did just an amazing training at your fire station, by the way, because we use it for our uh training platform now. Um and when guys are engaged, it's it's incredible because you know that that they get it. Yeah, and being right outside of Albuquerque, I mean Albuquerque has been in the news a lot for babies that have been just thrown away like trash. And so being able to uh understand the meaning behind the baby box foundation, you guys pretty much got it. You guys understood why this box was needed, yeah. And so I come down, I think it was what November? Was it uh October, yeah? October. So came down and we blessed the baby box in October and did the training and put that box on live, and then we basically just kind of waited. Yeah, and we just were just kind of waiting for a baby at that point, right? And so um, so take me to the day of the um the alarm going off on the baby box and um everything kind of leading up to that because I think it's an important part of the story, yeah. Uh, because um sometimes Christ uses us when there's a devastating or or something that happens that he allows us to see the good.
SPEAKER_05:Yeah, what I what I think of it is uh we lost a life to gain a life. That's the way I I always had to live.
SPEAKER_02:So take me to that moment where you lost a life. So what was going on?
SPEAKER_05:So um the night before um the structure tones went off, um, one in the morning, you know, you wake up, you're startled, you're half asleep, you know, we get in that engine, we can't. And this is a fully engulfed yeah, when it says because when the st structure tones drop, um, you know, it's a smoke check, uh gas check, something like that. But when um it drops and they say fully engulfed structure, possible victim inside, that's like a whole nother level. Your adrenaline, everything just it's crazy.
SPEAKER_02:You're moving at a different speed.
SPEAKER_05:Yeah, someone's inside possibly, um, so we get there, the the trailer's fully engulfed, you know, all these family members are outside screaming, Grandma's in the back, grandma's in the back. And you're just trying to get that hose down, uh get everything deployed, and um start putting water on that fire so you can make entries and try to get in there and save her.
SPEAKER_02:Um this was a mobile home.
SPEAKER_05:A mobile home. So they go up so fast, and and a lot of people use these space heaters, stuff like that, uh uh rigged um wiring, stuff like that. A lot of people are poor in the community.
SPEAKER_02:And so um they do with they do the best they can.
SPEAKER_05:Yeah, exactly. So we we kind of know what we're facing, maybe why this happened or started. Um so there was a lot of people living in the home, but they when they said grandma's on the back, oh man, it's just you know, so we we made entry uh through the side door and the flames are shooting out. I mean I knew probably no one could be viable in that situation, but we still do it. And so we kicked down the door, knocked down the door, and you know, putting water on the fire and stuff, trying to knock it down and everything, and there's it's you could just feel that heat coming out. And uh so we made it about halfway in, and you could just feel everything so hot, and uh the ears, my ears started to burn and my wrists, and just everything.
SPEAKER_02:So the fire was that hot, yeah.
SPEAKER_05:It was it was cooking, and so I I just as a lieutenant, I said I can't take my guy in any further.
SPEAKER_01:I can't risk his life.
SPEAKER_05:Yeah, and so I said, Turn around, we gotta get out. So we get out and uh take all our gear off and stuff, and everything's just melted. My shield, my eye visor, everything uh is melted, and then I take off my gloves and everything. I got burns on my wrists and and on my ears, blistering up, stuff like that. Uh so they put us to rehab and then the guys put the ha the fire out. And uh but we stayed on scene for till the next day till one in the afternoon.
SPEAKER_01:So 12 hours.
SPEAKER_05:12 hours we were there just helping with hot spots and then with the unfortunately the body recovery. And that was hard.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah.
SPEAKER_05:So the guys are beat, uh, you know, we lost somebody and also we're just tired like any fire.
SPEAKER_01:So we get back to the house and uh to the fire station for those who don't know what that means. Yeah, yeah, I'll call it the house.
SPEAKER_05:You firefighters don't know. But uh it is our house. It is, it is our house. It's our second house, and uh so yeah, so now the fun begins. Uh if any firefighter knows that's when the work begins because that's when all the cleanup is and the hoses and putting the cross lays in and getting it ready for the next call. Yeah, and you gotta be ready for the next call. So um uh, but as soon as we pulled up, uh PJ and seniors, one of the lieutenants comes running out. He's like, There's a baby in the box, there's a baby in the box. I was like, nah, you're messing around, like you know, help us with the hose, you know. And uh he's all no, seriously, grab the box, grab the bags. Uh Ariel has the baby. So Ariel had the baby. I see her going across the bay with the baby.
SPEAKER_02:And she's a paramedic.
SPEAKER_05:Yeah, she's the paramedic chief. And uh, so we take him in our exam room that we have inside the station, and I grabbed the airway bag, and everybody's grabbing bags, and people are putting and so we get in there, and he's just so tiny, you know, he only weighed five pounds. And uh he still had the umbilical cord attached, and he was pretty blue, and we didn't know if he was gonna make it. And uh so I put the oxygen on him right away and hot packs, and then uh usually we call for an ambulance to transport. But we said, Oh, the heck with that. So PJ drove and the aerial was in the back, and then we didn't know what to do because we had like this car seat, and uh it's supposed to go with the babies and stuff like that. He didn't he didn't even fit in the car seat, and we pulled it out, we're like the hell so we took it.
SPEAKER_02:This is real life. This is this is what it's all about when when you're when when you're moving along like that. It's like you do with what you have to do, right?
SPEAKER_05:And what you're trained to do, and and as as firefighters and EMTs, uh it's organized chaos.
SPEAKER_01:So you just that's exactly what it is.
SPEAKER_05:You know, so we just do mitigate the situation and fix it and make it the best we can. And uh so they took off to the hospital and then after that they wanted to take me to the urgent care and stuff, so I was gonna shower and stuff like that. But the wheels started turning and I was like, I want that baby. As soon as I knew it I laid eyes on him, I knew that I wanted that to be my son. It was it was something weird. And like as soon as I saw him, it was just like something came over me like uh it was meant to be, and so I called uh I called Janae and uh I said, hey, guess what? I was like, there's a baby placed in the box. Like I was like, I want to find out if we can start fostering him and maybe adopt him. And she was just like, what the heck?
SPEAKER_02:So what were your so what were your thoughts? I mean, seriously, you you get the call, this has not been done before, in in your community, and there's a baby, and your husband is there. I what is what is your thoughts?
SPEAKER_00:It's so crazy to even like hear the story back because it just, you know, that was such a crazy day. Um, so I knew that he was in a fire, um, and I thought he was calling me to tell me about, you know, because he was sent to the hospital also. Both both my boys were in the hospital that day, which is so crazy. Um, but I thought he was calling to update me on the fire and you know what what was going on, and when he said, Oh my gosh, there's a baby in the box, call our caseworker, because at that time we were sent a caseworker and she was um finding placement for us. And he said, call our caseworker and see what we need to do. And I was like, Okay, like, are you okay? Like, what's going on? And so I knew at that moment that it was going to be a long road ahead, and I know it was not gonna be easy because there's so many questions that I have, and I'm sure that we like it's not it's just it wasn't that easy.
SPEAKER_02:And this would have been your first fostering. Yes, yeah, this was you hadn't done another child, you hadn't taken in another child before.
SPEAKER_00:Nothing.
SPEAKER_02:So you guys were learning as you went, yeah.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, we became instant parents that day, literally.
SPEAKER_05:Yeah, and we had like before all the guys have kids at the station and stuff, and uh um we'd always joke next one in the boxes is uh they call me keto's my my nickname. They say next one in the boxes, next one in the box is keto's because they all have kids and stuff, but yeah, like they'd hand me their kids and stuff, and I'd be like, you know, I wouldn't even know how to hold a baby, uh change a diaper, nothing. And so uh, but yeah, it was pretty crazy just how it all came about.
SPEAKER_02:So you get a hold of the caseworker, you say what are the chances? Yeah, and what does what do they tell you?
SPEAKER_00:That there is a lot of things we need to do, but we're like, whatever you need us to do, we are going to do. Like, we had to get um like some kind of shot or vaccine, you know, that day where like I was there like within minutes to schedule that vaccine, whatever we needed to do, and then um you know they would tell us, Oh, well, you're the foster parents for now, but you know, we don't know if that's so the case. So it was like, are we gonna be as parents? Are we not gonna be as parents? Are we gonna, you know, be able to foster this baby? But all I knew is we needed to be there for him in the hospital, and so we visit him in the hospital every single day. And so that night though, you guys were able to see him. Um, well, we had to wait a couple days until like it was officially cleared. Um, and once we knew that we were hopefully gonna be the foster parents, but there was just so many questions we didn't know if we actually were gonna do it. We didn't know what was gonna happen really, day by day, day by day.
SPEAKER_05:And then in Mexico, the uh they're going off of their protocols, and this is all new to everybody.
SPEAKER_02:You know, these they may be being placed in the box. We've only had this happen in Hobbes, which is in a different county, yeah. And even though CYFD is state ran, it is chapters or you know, individual uh offices. Offices, yeah. And so your office here in this community hadn't had that before.
SPEAKER_05:Yeah, so they were just like freaked out too, and like we didn't think it was gonna be this quick. I mean, because it was October that we blessed the box, and then now it's it's it's uh February and all of a sudden we have a baby, and it's like what the heck? So um it was a lot of misunderstandings and uh on different protocols. Do we go off of this protocol and then we have our own protocol, and then safe haven law is its own uh thing. And so it was just a lot of confusion, but um but I remember I'll never forget when I called you that day. I said we got the baby, and you had heard the news from Charles, our chief. And uh I said, Monica, I w I I wanna I wanna adopt him. And uh you said it's gonna be tough. But if you want this baby, you have to fight like hell. And that's what you had told me. And uh I'll always remember that fight like hell. And after that, I got off the phone and after that we fought like hell.
SPEAKER_02:Fought like hell. And it wasn't easy. It wasn't, it wasn't easy. And you know, I I I'm a firm believer that Christ brings us to things that is supposed to happen and pushes things out of the way that was not supposed to happen. This was supposed to happen this way. Yeah, you know, and unfortunately you lost a life in that morning, but it was almost like Christ was giving you something that was just beautiful out of out of tragedy, yeah, you know, and something that you can celebrate, but also remembering that a life had been lost, yeah, you know, and so okay, so you guys start fighting like hell, and you have no idea if you're gonna be able to be his forever family.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah.
SPEAKER_02:And so, when did you get the call that okay, we're gonna let you keep him? We're we're gonna allow you to adopt this baby.
SPEAKER_05:Uh, I think it was like uh a couple nights after that. We had um I think we saw him in the hospital one time. But um after that we we went to Walmart and it was like 11 at night. We were just looking at cribs and we didn't have anything.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, we were like not ready for baby.
SPEAKER_05:So we started like, well, let's just go look at a crib real quick and uh see what they got. Yeah, so we started looking at stuff just as we weren't gonna buy anything, but we just wanted to look around. And then they called us and said, uh before that night they said we had the baby. And then they called us um a couple hours later said, unfortunately the baby's already been placed somewhere else. And that broke our hearts. Yeah. I mean, we were just like, why? Like you know, like it's it's it's my house, it's my fire station. It's you know, we're certified. Why can't I have the baby, you know? Why can't you foster? Why can't I foster? And uh we're a perfectly good home, everything like that.
SPEAKER_02:You'd already you'd already been licensed. You had it, you know, you had the license, so why not you?
SPEAKER_05:Yeah, and there was a lot of stuff behind the scenes, you know, um that we won't go over, but uh so but then like the next morning now we're back on.
SPEAKER_02:It's like prayer.
SPEAKER_05:Yeah, we prayed and prayed, and then the next morning we know we're back on and they said and it was just like a gradual step uh well we're not fostering it, but you guys can go see him. We'll put your names on the list.
SPEAKER_00:To be able to hold him and love him, and okay. And holding him for the first time was just the most amazing feeling. We just knew we had to be there for him every day because he was very sick. Um, you know, seeing him with lots of hoses, you know, hooked up, he had a feeding tube through his mouth, and he just he was sick, and we just knew we needed to be a strength because um he didn't have anybody else, so we just wanted to be there every day. We made sure, like we were working, we did not expect that to happen at all, but you know, we had jobs and we're like, we need to go, we need to be in the hospital as much as we possibly can and hold his hand and hold him and be there. And he was in the hospital for over a month, um like a month and a half. So you guys were there every day, every day. Almost twice a day. In a snowstorm, even we were there.
SPEAKER_05:Yeah, it snowed and we were like, I don't know if we can go and and uh heck with that threw it in four high and took off and uh but uh but we're there every day and bringing in little stuffed animals and just letting him hear our voices and letting him know that that we're here for him and uh and that we're gonna be there for him and do whatever it takes to be there for him and uh and to take care of him and and it was it was just a blessing that he's we're the only parents, the only parents he knows, you know, and uh and he just knows that uh we're gonna be there for him his whole life, you know.
SPEAKER_02:You okay, so you are the only parent that he knows, but you also know that there's another mother out there that that chose this for him, that basically said, I want what's best for my child, and it's just not me. And so I'm going to entrust my child into somebody else's family. And so when when you when you hear that he's gonna become a a part of your family, does it ever take you back to her? You know, do you ever do you ever think of the sacrifices that she's made to allow you to be a dad?
SPEAKER_05:I think that's the first thing we think of. Yeah, is the parents first. Because it without them uh choosing this, uh this wouldn't all have been possible.
SPEAKER_00:I think about her every day. I think about, you know, the I can't even imagine the decision she had to make that day. And she's so brave and selfless, and you know, she wanted what's best for Mikey, and we are giving her the you know, we're we're I just I hope she knows that he has the best life possible. And I just I can't imagine what she was going through, but she made the most selfless decision and she made the best the best decision she could for Mikey.
SPEAKER_02:So and as as he's sitting here playing on the floor and we all can hear him laughing and with Uncle Joe. Yeah, uh, but you know that that's one of the things that I I hope people understand is it's amazing that a family has been made, but we also have to recognize that a family had been broken. Yeah, and and but that's the choice that she made, and she made it for the love of her child. Yeah, and um and so if she's out there and she's listening to this and you could say something to her, what would you what would you say?
SPEAKER_00:I I think you are so brave. You made such a hard decision, and I just want to thank you so much from the bottom of my heart. Um, what you did was the most selfless thing, and I want you to know that we are going to take such great care of Mikey, he's gonna have the best life possible, and it would not be possible had you not made that decision, had there not been a baby box available. And I'm just so glad that you made the right decision. And Mikey's gonna thrive, and he's going to be the best life, and we are gonna provide that for him. And so thank you for making that decision. And he is thriving.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, you know, I mean, yes, he's his his start was a little rough, you know. He was a little sick when he was off, but man, he's like been all over. I mean, he's this like he's just playing. It's like, you know, for 18 months, he's he's just your average boy.
SPEAKER_05:Yeah, you know, and um and I also wanted to thank the dad too, or any family members that helped, you know. Um being a dad now, uh how I'm so attached to him and he's I love him so much that uh he's just like a mini me, you know, and uh I want to teach him everything I know and everything. And for that dad to also make the choice too. Um, you know, I just want to say thank you to the father as well as the mother.
SPEAKER_02:Well, and you know, we don't know their story. That's the that's the beauty of the baby box, is the anonymity piece. Yeah. Is they wanted to remain anonymous. They they didn't want you knowing who they were. Yeah, and so they did choose this, but it it it is a part where we don't know the story, but we trust the love that they had for their child. Yeah, that's huge. Yeah, uh, yeah, it's it's he's over here just a smile and he so wants to play with the equipment. Like, don't you?
SPEAKER_04:He's gonna be you might have a funky music beat with that problem. Hit that sound effects button.
SPEAKER_02:He's gonna be a little good job, buddy.
SPEAKER_05:He's either gonna be a firefighter or an engineer.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, or a TV tech. I don't know. He might be an engineer considering how much he loves this electronics over here.
SPEAKER_05:Yeah, exactly.
SPEAKER_02:Oh, and he's just thriving, you know. You guys have just been so, so blessed. Oh yeah. You know, just so blessed to be able to call him yours.
SPEAKER_05:And now that he's healthy and everything, like uh we just had a checkup the other day on his heart and stuff, and they said, This is the last time you're gonna see us. They're like, his heart's fine now. All that whatever we saw, it's gone. He grew out of it. Everything that he was in the ICU for uh is gone. And no milk allergy. He had a bunch of stuff. I mean, and now he's just a healthy baby, and we're just you know blessed and uh I feel like it was love though that you know got him healthy because I think he needed he needed that, you know, while he was in the hospital.
SPEAKER_00:Um he just I remember he with all the stuff, you know, on his head, he never opened his eyes, and then eventually, like once he got used to our voices, he started opening his eyes, and it was just so amazing to see his little eyes and see him smile, and it's just I think he needed that strength and that love and we were over hopefully able to provide that for him.
SPEAKER_05:And he was just so tiny and uh yeah, but we gotta give it up to the UNMH uh the ICU staff that the nurses and doctors amazing people, amazing, and um they they let us interact with him as much as we could. Um so after he after a while, a couple weeks, they started letting us change his diaper. And I was like, what like what am I supposed to do here? And uh so then they uh had us give him a bath, and that was amazing, and like just the diapers, and uh and then um after he got off the NG tube, they uh we were able to uh bottle feed him and then actually hold him, but every time you'd have to hold him, you had to take all the cords. It was about a million cords, and then you know, but you're holding him, and uh but we would just sit there for hours and hours and uh all night and all day just holding him and and then we put him back and they'd be like, Alright, see you tomorrow. And then we got to meet some of the other families that were in there and uh going through the same things we were and uh But yeah, it was just it was crazy just to just to see him now and just uh he's thriving and uh we can't wait for what's in store and it kind of brings the kid out of you too because uh you know you you want to go to back to the zoo and you want to go to the museum.
SPEAKER_02:Just because you want to see the look in their eyes.
SPEAKER_05:Yeah, and just to take him to the aquarium the other day and I let him run around and instead of the sterling, and he was all over the place looking at the fish and jellyfish and just uh pointing at things now, he points and uh so it's just amazing, you know, just to see like we get to go through all that again and maybe go to Disneyland again one of these days and uh stuff like that, and then uh get to buy a lot of fire trucks, well toys.
SPEAKER_03:Of course, yeah.
SPEAKER_02:Well, and it's it's just amazing to be a parent, you know. I mean, when you never thought that you would be a parent, now you have this amazing little little guy that runs around here, and it's it's just you know, I I can't imagine, you know, growing my or you know, living my life with no kids because they truly you're right, they bring the youth out of you, but they also bring the unconditional love out of you, like like you'll do anything for your kids. Yeah, and you know, you guys know that I was adopted. My my mom to this day, if you watch our TikTok channel, she tells me she loves me every time I hang up the phone and tells me not to get in the stranger's car. I mean, I'm 52 years old, you know, and it's like it's like adoption does not change the fact of biology. It's like I'm still hurt, yeah, you know, and and so I I see that with you guys. It's it's like he's yours, yeah, you know.
SPEAKER_00:I struggled a little bit with like identity of him because you really don't know anything about him or his past or his family. And you know, for a while it was like I wanted I I want to know more about him, you know, and who he is. But then now I'm like, he's us, like he's a Martinez, he is and he'll always be a Martinez. Um, so in so he didn't technically have a name for a whole year, and his name was Baby Boy Doe, and that's got to me because it was so it's like no, that is, and so all the paperwork says baby boy doe, and to me, like that that I struggled with that because I was like, no, he has a name, he has uh now he has our name, and but it was hard for me to you know see that and see that he didn't technically have a name and and it's hard, you know, he didn't have a social security number and have a birth certificate, and that was hard.
SPEAKER_05:So for a while his name was Nation too.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_05:And so we'd we'd go to like the um the checkups and stuff like that, and they'd be like, Nation?
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, like what?
SPEAKER_05:And then um uh so a lot of people that nation, what the heck? Because I know a lot of people name their their kids some wild stuff these days, but yeah, baby boy, they some people would say baby boy or nation and stuff like that, but um, but the nurses are always great, they'll be like, Oh, his name's Michael, and they'd be like, Oh, Michael uh after that, you know, and stuff like that. And uh, but when we actually adopted him and he got his name, that was a good deck, and the reason why he is named Michael, uh aka Mikey, um, is after my brother, my late brother passed. And uh so I just immediately when we thought of a name, I um I immediately thought of my brother, and uh what a great way to think I think about my brother every day, but what a great way to uh to honor him by is by giving him the name Mikey. And uh so it's just uh So he can carry on the name.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah.
SPEAKER_00:And we chose the middle name, Grayson, because I feel like it was the grace of God that really brought him to us, the way how it happened. So that was important for us to, you know, just show things, you know, show things to So if you know, and this is just here I go off the cuff, you know.
SPEAKER_02:This is this is one of those times where Monica's just gonna throw out the question. So if his birth mom is watching right now and wants to connect with you to see maybe get pictures through the years to just make sure that he's safe and and would you be open to that?
SPEAKER_05:We've talked about that quite a bit.
SPEAKER_02:Uh-huh.
SPEAKER_05:And uh, you know, you think about it, and uh, you know, being that this is a a big case, you know, and we're a fire station, and you know, I always think when is gonna be the day I'm gonna be outside washing the truck and somebody's gonna come up to our station and say, Hey, you know, I'm I'm Michael's mother. You know, I did this this many years ago, and you know, I'm clean now or you know, something and what what do I do? And uh so we've talked about it and we just said uh it's in the hands of God, you know, and uh if he wants us to reconnect with her and and uh you know as as long as it's safe for him and stuff like that, um I think I'd be open to it, you know. Um you know, of course we'd have to talk about it and make sure it's the right situation. Um and knowing that you know there's nothing in him that could ever take him from us, yeah, that helps because it all the court hearings it's all done, it's all done. So he's ours. Yeah, and so but but I I think I'd be uh open to it, but it'd have to be the right circumstance.
SPEAKER_02:But sometimes these parents or these moms just want to find the peace of knowing they're safe. Yeah, you know, and we have a lot of moms that come back after um after they surrender, and so we we get to know these moms, and their hearts are it's not that they don't love their child, they absolutely love these kids. It's they're in a place where they know that the child's gonna be better with someone else. Yeah, and they're entrusting you to take it from there, and and so sometimes it's just them getting a little bit of peace knowing that their baby is safe and being raised by people that that will love him forever.
SPEAKER_05:Yeah, because we we dabbled with it um about going on the news and and and doing all these things where like should we just keep this on the hush and like you know not expose him to anything like that, or you know, and then plus having that chance that someone could come back, that was terrifying for us, especially um being that we hadn't adopted him yet. And so uh but after we did then we thought about it and uh we knew the news was gonna find out, things people were gonna find out. So we said, you know what, this is such a great story. And it's his story, it's his story, and you know what, it we we need some good news in this world right now. It's just you hear all the bad and wars and and anybody who's ever heard his story, they cry. And it touches them in a way that's like, thank you for telling me that story. Like, we'll barely meet somebody at Lowe's getting some hardware or something, and and they say, Oh, what a beautiful child, and this and that. And um, so uh sometimes Janae will tell them the story, like if they're talking to us for a while and stuff, yeah, and they say, Oh my god, like after that they're like so nice to us, and like it's like they're like they want to know more, and they just like they feel like their life has changed too, just by even telling them the story, like they can go on their day now being like happy and and knowing that there's there's good out there, you know.
SPEAKER_00:Everybody says you know, they they always tell us um that baby is so blessed, and my my first reaction is always no we're blessed, but then really if it was not for the mother that made that decision that day, you know, I I think every day like where where would Michael have been right now? And that's so it's so hard for me to to even you know go there, but it's like where would had had a baby box not been available in Boleyn, where would Mikey have been right now if that mother did not was she if she wasn't able to make that choice? And it's it heart it breaks my heart. You know, I uh he'll just be taking a bath and I look at him and I'm like, I know you have the greatest life right now, but like what would have happened if that baby box had not been available at the fire station, right? Honestly.
SPEAKER_05:Yeah, or a lot of these uh parents unfortunately uh especially in these smaller towns, uh, you know, they struggle with addiction and uh to get off these drugs nowadays, like the in the past being in an EMT and stuff in a fireman. heroin, you know, they can they can get help and they can shake it, you know, and uh but these fentanyl f fentanyl drugs and uh meth uh these these poor parents don't have a chance.
SPEAKER_02:So I it it opens the question up did Mikey have drugs in his system? Yeah. Yeah. Okay. So we we have a mom that probably needed some help needed a lot of help and hopefully she's she's gotten that help. Yeah.
SPEAKER_00:When when he was in the hospital um you know we became really really close with the doctors and nurses and I remember just like at one point being angry I was like like how could this mom have done this like to her baby knowing that she was pregnant and you know taking substances and and he and and he what he said is so so true. One of the doctors said you know what you can't look at it that way. You have to look at it she did what she needed to do to keep this baby alive and get this baby right here and where he needs to be and I was like you are absolutely right yeah I'm sorry I just got this whole thing in his mouth like a seed and L so you might want to get it out of the Mikey Oh is it a plum I'm not sure if the seed's in it or not but I can't yeah you gotta watch it.
SPEAKER_02:He gets close to the seed and then Oh yeah you've got the seed and everything oh my godness like this sorry we've got kids we know I was watching here it's kind of weird because the stuff they know they're not supposed to swallow they'll keep it in there they'll keep it in there you got snacks and all kinds of stuff over here here he loves plums and he's hired we got a kid over here eat some plums he's the walking hazard this is what I love though about this podcast is like we don't care you know we'll just stop if and and you know what we might I might cut it out I might leave it who knows it's it's good you know but it's real life you know this is real life but it's real life it's real it's our backyard it's you know and joe Joe's over here just sucking it up like I it's like having our grandson right he's good yeah he is really good he's been so good very curious I've been letting him hit the buttons that don't affect anything oh yeah yeah he he'll hit uh every single one first yeah you think they don't affect anything and then we go back to this recording and we're like we have no sound we're gonna be back tomorrow to do this again oh well gosh um you know there was a question I was gonna ask you um while you were talking and now I can't remember um that I was just curious about but I can't remember what I was gonna say now. So but thank you guys thank you guys for being so open thank you guys for just opening your lives for others to see him and just see what a blessing he is you know I mean other people that that get to hear his story you know are touched by it but shielding him from his story could affect him later on. Yeah you know and so being so open about his story and just embracing it and saying this is who you are buddy and we love you.
SPEAKER_05:Yeah you know and and we know that your birth mom loved you um and so and of course one day he he is gonna find out um I was placed in a baby box and it's it's all over the news it's it's everywhere but um and then we think about like you know will he be teased at school or will he you know be bullied or will he just but no he's gonna be such a gentleman and so strong that he knows this is my parents I love them. They took me in and they did the best they could for me my whole life and provided what I needed and I'm the person I am today because of them. And uh so because we're like one day do we take down that picture we have hanging in the newspaper no baby box we're all no that's his story.
SPEAKER_02:That is him that's who he is yeah you know let him embrace it and one day you know he's we we will never know what is in store for him until it happens. Yeah and so one day you're gonna look back and you're gonna be like oh my gosh like this is because of him. You know my mom today uh which is just you know my mom and my dad they've been just they are what every child deserves to have they really really are and so but they didn't know my story and so when they learned my stories when I told them when I after I had met my biological mother and so now my mom looks at my life and she's like you know I I never realized how big of an impact you were gonna have on this world. Yeah and so one day he's gonna look at you and you're gonna look at him and say I had no idea the impact that you were going to have on this world I mean I knew I was gonna love you forever yeah but he is here for a purpose and and you guys just kind of keep you know watering that watering that flower and watching it bloom yeah and and letting him embrace his story because he he will he will embrace it there now is is he going to struggle with his identity yes I'm not gonna lie to you I mean I struggled with that as well yeah but Christ is where I went that is where I went back to you know is to to finding where my worth was started and it has not started with society it has not started with people telling me my worth it is with him upstairs and so you have to direct him back to that because that's where he's going to find it you know and and you guys I I've I've grown to love you guys uh I know you guys love the Lord I I you can see it here you know um and so I I think one day Mikey is going to change the world he really is he really really is and and we're just gonna sit here with popcorn yeah watching as as he just changes somebody's life for the better. Yeah um and you know maybe just maybe I always say this but I have to retire one day and there's gonna be somebody that takes over an organization yeah that changes it's that is saving lives maybe in other countries at that point. Yeah and it's not gonna be me. You know I'm 52 years old I've got maybe 10 more years of this and and maybe 20 I don't know if I can push it that far but somebody is going to have to change the world even more and I I hope one of these kids my my mic is quiet or my my camera's bouncing um but I hope one of these kids is is who takes it to the next level. I think maybe it's Mikey.
SPEAKER_00:I remember right before um the press conference you know because we're we we didn't know if we wanted to show his face his name we didn't know you know and I remember you asked us right before um is this something you want to do and then without hesitation Chris and I were like yeah we do because we I think his story is so important. I think this mission is so incredibly important like I think you know baby boxes should be everywhere. They really should be and it we're like we need to celebrate him. We need to celebrate his mother that made that decision right and I think his story is really important so yeah we it was hard but we decided to do it and that's why.
SPEAKER_05:And then the box is like you know years in the past like I never heard of a baby box and now that's all you hear is like everybody wants one and uh everybody wants to be part of it.
SPEAKER_02:So if another baby came through the Boleyn baby box would you guys be open to a second child?
SPEAKER_05:I would absolutely what would the chance of that you would be the first to that they'd be like nope I don't open those guys again but I I mean uh you know and plus two we're we're still um fostering we do we do respite uh which is um take him for a weekend and stuff like that.
SPEAKER_02:How's Mikey with those kids?
SPEAKER_05:Uh he loves kids uh yeah when he goes with grandma she takes him to the park and he plays with the other kids he just loves interacting with kids and it it's like it almost makes you want to cry because he's just playing with kids and like on his first day of school it's gonna be like I'm gonna cry just watch it in with his dad for this yeah and so um we're just uh we're just blessed and we're just glad that a lot of these fire stations and even hospitals I know hospitals are even uh getting them it's just about being anonymous you know letting the parrot do what they feel is best for them. Yeah exactly and not and uh you know it's more comfortable for them to do it in that setting um because of course you know um by law they can take it to any fire station or even anybody and just say take this baby and and uh nothing will come back to them and uh so that's great but having that baby box there you know it gives them time as a last resort option if they can't walk in and hand the child to you exactly just give them the option yeah so if we have these options out there uh might as well uh utilize them and uh and it's working yeah obviously we we're first hand uh you know this is this it works you know we got Mikey well you fought like hell yeah and you won yeah and now you have a son and uh but that's how it was supposed to be all along.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah you know Christ had that happening from the moment that he was placed in that box he knew exactly before that yeah you know that that he was meant to be yours. Yeah and uh and he's just he's so blessed. Yes well thank thank you guys um for allowing us to come into your home and for allowing us to be a part of his life and your life and as you guys became a part of our family that day um he's he's will always be a part of our family.
SPEAKER_05:And just seeing you with the the other families too and the the other babies like you know all these babies and they just they all latch onto you it's like you're thank you for what you do. You know they um you in the fire trucks and stuff and you're just you have so many kids in your life now too that that's a part of I have more kids as pictures on my phone of kids that are not mine that are mine.
SPEAKER_02:And so um I'm the one that's blessed though to be able to love on these kids and you know Christ gave me the job of saving them.
SPEAKER_05:The parents gave me uh the ability to love them forever and so it's gonna be in his life you enjoyed and so we always welcome you guys I'll be at his graduation I guarantee it oh yeah and then they grow so kindergarten graduation first grade graduation and every day is a new milestone like one day he'll do this and then the next day it's this and uh every week is something new and so uh it's fun to watch and it goes by quick just looking at his pictures and stuff uh just seeing him all tiny and fitting a little Easter basket and now look at him he's all over all over we love being parents like it's just it's like I didn't know what my life was missing until Mikey came along.
SPEAKER_00:And so it's so fun just watching him grow and it's so fun to be in a family and tradition yeah and I just I didn't know what we were missing until Mikey came along so it's just like he had the greatest life and if it wasn't for that mother making that decision that day we would just I don't know and then being a the whole story of it too is just a firefighter's baby and that was at his station like it's amazing.
SPEAKER_02:It is you know that's only happened one other time.
SPEAKER_05:Yeah and uh because I know there was a story of the police officer.
SPEAKER_02:Yep that's up in uh that's Brett and Shelby with baby Maya. Yeah yep and then uh down in Orlando we have um yeah so it it's it's happened twice but that wasn't the the police officer wasn't at the fire station when Maya was yeah because Maya was placed in uh a baby box at a hospital but but yeah but it's just amazing though that that that these babies are growing up as as first responders families you know because it's truly us on the front lines because yeah we see it every day and um and a lot of us first responders um you know we aren't able to have children and stuff like that so uh you know for us to be able to to adopt them and everything is just like it's amazing. Well you guys are blessed and so is he thank you thank you for having us thank you guys for coming on Beyond the Box and allowing us to interview hold on hold on hold on he turned it off the volume just went off so just before you said thank you okay good job Mikey good job Mikey good job Mikey where'd your shoe go here he gave it to me pretty soon maybe Mikey will be on doing the sound and audio like a DJ yeah now you can start Mala thank you for well thank you guys so much for for allowing me to come into your family for allowing us to level Michael and bringing us into your beautiful home and your cool as hell like gazebo like this is awesome.
SPEAKER_05:Just a minute ago there was a cat crawling above your head I was like oh my gosh because Janae used to be the well she still is she's she's the cat lady cat lady yeah she wants to save all the pets and the whole neighborhood we even have a skunk.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah you have a live skunk here? Yeah well just uh not here now but sometimes at night it'll come in and eat the cat food because all the cats that live in the storm dream somehow they're now my pets so we have six cats now that we literally taken from the storm drain why am I not surprised you know why am I not surprised you've got such a loving heart it does not surprise me that it's with animals too.
SPEAKER_05:Yeah they just gravitate they know they're gonna get food here and a loving uh home and so like uh yeah they come every night to eat and stuff and then uh and they go back to their little drains and uh we got them all trapped and we fixed them so that way there's not a bunch running around. You guys took them all so they're fixed but like now they come that's dedication that is dedication correctly that one night I was uh gonna come out to water and uh Janae was working at a concert and uh so I opened the sliding door and I see this big huge poofy tail. You're like oh what the hell cat is this and then uh I looked down and it was a skunk and I was like oh no the stinky cat yeah so then uh but it it did I thought it was gonna spray me you know but it didn't it's because it's because your wife had been feeding it. I think so well sorry for you he hangs out with the cats and he goes he gets their food and they're all I would have thought he would have sprayed the cats too because I've had dogs that have been sprayed. But uh but yeah he he just moses around in the front you see him on the cameras all the time just walking around like with the cats are right there and then so we have a new a new friend. Yeah yeah but yeah we're up to six cats now that and a skunk and a skunk it gets expensive also we're gonna have to start a nonprofit for cat food so if anybody's watching and they want to donate cat food to the uh martinez is let me know it gets it gets pretty pricey sometimes their meals are more than ours you know our little thing of cat food so uh but no we're just we're very loving people and we love helping anybody that we can even if it's pets anybody you know we're willing to help out so I'll give everybody the address if you want to get rid of your pets you can bring them over here we're gonna our next house is gonna when I retire uh it's gonna she wants a cat barn.
SPEAKER_02:A cat bar huh?
SPEAKER_05:So we're gonna have uh and we'll probably end up getting a nonprofit after that the way we know where we're going.
SPEAKER_02:All the cat and save save all the pets well thank you guys for come for coming on Beyond the Box. Uh thank you thank you for what you did thank you thank you guys all right this is Monica Kelsey from Beyond the Box here in Albuquerque New Mexico with the Martinez as in uh baby Mike Mikey and I don't know where he went but he's around here somewhere where I can hear him anyways we'll see you guys next time on Beyond the Box