Close Ad

Man talking to a little girl sitting near him and a police officer carrying a little girl and standing next to a woman.

Police Officer Is Now Family After Saving Three-Month-Old

YouTube/ CBS New York
Uplifting News

Police Officer Saves 3-Month-Old - Five Years Later He’s Part of the Family

A day at the movies turned into an actual nightmare for this mom.

Being a new parent is terrifying because you’re always expecting the worst. But when the worst actually happens, and your baby stops breathing, you hope that a stranger like this police officer will be there to save the day.


A Harrowing Incident

Police officer looks at little girl sitting near him.

Officer Mike Harton sits with Tooka, he girl whose life he once saved

CBS News/YouTube


A normal day at the movies turned into a new mother’s worst nightmare five years ago when her three-month-old daughter Tooka stopped breathing. Nikki Huckaby ran out of the theater and screamed for help.

“I was standing there, and that’s when she came running toward this way,” Officer Mike Harton recalled to CNN. “[The baby] curled back, trying to take a breath, and then she went completely limp on me.”

It was then that Harton’s training kicked in and he started performing chest compressions and back blows, trying to get Tooka breathing again.

“All I was thinking, is like, she cannot die in this movie theater,” Huckaby recalled.

“All I could think in my head was, 'Not on my watch, not on my watch,'” Harton added.

Saving a Life

After 30 long seconds, Tooka finally released a small cry. It was music to the mom and officer’s ears. “That cry was the best cry ever,” Harton said.

“I literally watched a miracle happen before my eyes,” Huckaby said.

From that moment on, Harton began calling Tooka “Little Angel” and the officer became a part of the family’s life. He was even asked to be Tooka’s godfather. Today, he’s there for all of the five-year-old’s big life events: birthdays, holidays, and the first day of school. Tooka even wants to be a police officer when she grows up.

“That day, an angel came down,” Harton continued. “She did more for me than I did for her. My life changed that day. Our family got extended, and it’s amazing.”

Positive Relationships

In the interview, Huckaby explained that she and Harton wanted to share their story to show that positive police relationships can — and should — exist.

“A lot of people don’t get a chance to have that positive relationship with police officers. I hope this story is an example of how you can come together from different worlds and really be family because we are humans first,” Huckaby said.

It’s a nice reminder that the police in our communities do more than we think and are there to serve first and foremost. By highlighting more of these examples, we can deepen our relationships with police officers who show up for those in need, lend a helping hand, and continue to show up long after their official duties are done.

Hot Stories

Why Paul Walker Left His Only Daughter With Vin Diesel

Vin Diesel & Paul Walker were more than just friends, they were …

content.jwplatform.com

When the tragic news of Paul Walker's death surfaced, the world was left in shock. As one of the most beloved stars of the Fast and Furious franchise, his passing was felt deeply by fans around the globe. But perhaps the most devastating impact was felt by his daughter, Meadow Walker, who was left without a father.

Keep ReadingShow less
Life Stories
stranger pays for man's huge bill

We've all been there: you’ve loaded up your shopping cart or ordered a service, only to reach for your wallet and realize that it’s not there. It can be an embarrassing and anxiety-inducing scenario, one that sets the tone for the day.

A man faced a similar situation one day when he couldn’t remember his new PIN at a gas station. But when a stranger stepped in to help, he did more than save this man’s day.

Keep ReadingShow less
Uplifting News
friends ready for game night
Game Night photo by Big Potato on Unsplash
Game Night photo by Big Potato on Unsplash

People love trivia, that’s just a fact. That explains the popularity of long-running shows like Jeopardy or Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, and countless volumes of trivia books. Despite its close relationship to "trivial," trivia can be of great importance, particularly to those who love nothing more than to challenge -- and, ideally, beating -- their friends in battles of knowledge. And for that, they require hard trivia questions for the next big game night.

RELATED: Do the 36 Questions Really Lead to Love?

But how do you plan the best trivia night for your friends? You come up with the best trivia questions, and difficult trivia questions definitely rank among them.

Keep ReadingShow less
Pop Culture