Warrior baby now has a home

WHITE RIVER – A family that opened its heart and home to an abandoned baby, asked that people not stigmatise her as the “baby in the black bag”.

Her new parents, who are both in the teaching profession and in their mid-fifties, wished to remain anonymous.

They were granted foster care by the court this past Thursday.

Lowvelder had previously reported on how Casey, which means “warrior” in Gaelic, would have been dead if it were not for a miraculous chain of events.

She was found abandoned near a railway track on December 5, 2013. The biological mother was apparently seen trying to kill her one-day-old daughter in the White River industrial area. She had placed the baby in a plastic bag and left her on the railway line.

Security guards who had witnessed the incident heard her crying and called the police, who then contacted the social workers of Child Welfare SA White River.

The mother was arrested, appeared in court and apparently later received a suspended sentence.

After treatment, Casey was discharged on December 6 and placed in the temporary care of her now foster parents. She will remain in their custody for the following two years. Lowvelder met her and her new guardians at their home on Monday. The modest house showed signs of baby Casey ruling the roost.

Her new mom showed off her pink room with everything a baby girl needed, especially the main ingredient – love.

Her new dad proudly smiled and said, “At least now we have her birth certificate and we can baptise her, enrol her in a school and place her on our medical aid.”

Mom nudged and stated that he was the one who spoiled Casey and she certainly had him wrapped around her finger.

She told the paper that she had met Casey’s biological mother in court for the first time. “She hugged me as I was crying and said ‘thank you for loving my baby’.”

According to her, the biological mom might receive supervised visits after two months, depending on how much interest she shows in seeing the child.

“We cannot judge her, we are Christians and it is not for us to do that.” She said it had been emotionally difficult at times but the rewards had been amazing. “God brought her to our doorstep for a reason. We don’t want to focus on the sad part of her life.”

She urged others to open their hearts and homes to become places of safety to children in need.

“There are so many children and nobody wants to get involved, Casey wasn’t my problem either but she has become my greatest joy. If people could only realise the joy children bring into your life.”