Lucas’s Story

 
Despite the woman’s protests to the contrary, it was apparent to EMT Carrie, that the patient they were transporting by ambulance from the jail to a local hospital, was, in fact, in labor. The woman struggled with mental illness, was addicted to methamphetamine and had been incarcerated for several months. At the hospital, between contractions, the woman continued to deny her pregnancy. Even after little Lucas was born, she denied the baby was hers.
 
Lucas was born without a pulse or heartbeat but the medical team was able to revive him. He was full-term and healthy, despite exposure to drugs and lack of prenatal care. Therapists have since found no apparent developmental delays.
 
Carrie, the EMT who was present when he was born, is also a CASA volunteer. Realizing the infant would soon be a ward of the court, she contacted the CASA office the next day and asked to be assigned to his case as soon as possible.
 
Lucas spent a few days in the neonatal intensive care unit at the hospital. He was then welcomed into a resource family who hoped to adopt him. As Lucas’s CASA, Carrie continues to advocate for him at all court hearings and provides support to his resource parents when needed.
 
When CASA says that their volunteers serve children from birth to age 18, it is not stretching the truth. In this case, Lucas’s CASA was actually present at his birth.
 
“After seeing what I saw, I knew I had to be a part of it,” recalls Carrie. “It pulled on my heartstrings. A kid born into a situation like that, full of life and vigor, is meant to have a purpose. He is happy. He loves his resource parents. He is adored by all of them. It could not be a more perfect outcome.”