A mother in Fort Walton Beach is keeping her child after the adoptive mother fled the hospital crying after seeing that the newborn baby had birth defects.
Christina Fischer, 36, was pregnant and looking to give the baby up for adoption after realizing that she wasn't ready to "start again," the Northwest Florida Daily News reports.
She made arrangements with a family, and on Jan. 11, she gave birth to Abigail Lynn Fischer. But the adoptive family didn't want the baby girl, who was born with Treacher Collins syndrome, a condition that affects the bones and tissues of the face.
The adoptive mother rushed out of the hospital crying and was never seen again, according to the Northwest Florida Daily News.
"I took it as a sign that she was supposed to be mine," Fischer, who also has an 18-year-old daughter Debra, told the Daily News. "And now, she is my heart ... without her I would cease to exist."
The Northwest Florida Daily News reports that Fischer's father has Treacher Collins, which explains why Abigail was affected by it. The syndrome can only be contracted by both of the parents carrying the gene or one of the parents having the syndrome.
"There's doctors with Treacher Collins, even a male model," Fischer told the Northwest Florida Daily News. "She may need reconstructive surgery, but she'll be able to lead a perfectly normal life."
Fischer said she alerted the adoptive parents about the birth and admitted them into the hospital to see the baby being born.
"I let her (adoptive mom) take the other wristband into the NICU," she said. "She came out crying, looked at Debra and left the hospital." Fischer added that the adoption agency was "appalled by the news" and "flagged" the family for further adoptions.
Now, Fischer is just happy to spend time with her "little angel." "I can't imagine my life without her," she said.
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