Firefighter attends college graduation of baby he delivered 22 years ago

Over two decades ago, a firefighter helped to bring a little girl into the world, and now he's watched her walk into a bright future.

Key Takeaways:

• Firefighter Alan Kent helped to deliver Chloe Huddle in 2004, and since that time, Kent and the Huddle family have had a special relationship.

• Chloe celebrated several birthdays at Fire Station 15, but didn't understand the significance of it until she got older.

• Kent recently drove over 800 miles to be there for Chloe's college graduation, and plans to be at her wedding in July as well.

The Details:

Firefighter and paramedic Alan Kent drove over 800 miles last month to watch Chloe Huddle graduate from Grand Canyon University. The relationship started between them 22 years earlier after a 911 emergency call to his fire station ended in his presence at her birth. 

“Alan was one of the first people to really hold me,” said Chloe, who graduated last month with a Bachelor's Degree in Educational Studies and a minor in Christian studies. “…We’ve just always had a bond” — one that has been celebrated all her life.

Kent says being a part of Chloe's life has been the highlight of his career. “To watch [Chloe] grow up every year, I got to really know her family, both sides. … I’ve been to her sister and her brother’s weddings already.”

And in the near future, he plans to attend Chloe’s wedding as well. The family is already talking about how to include him in the ceremony itself. 

The Backstory:

Kent and Huddle's relationship is the kind movies are made of. What started out as just another day on the job for Kent on February 15, 2004, dramatically changed when Kent and his team of firefighters and EMTs responded to a call at the home of Stacy and Todd Huddle.

Heading into the house, Kent heard screams coming from upstairs, and immediately knew what was happening. As GCU News reported:

As soon as he and a team of fellow firefighters and EMTs pulled up to Stacy and husband Todd Huddle’s home around 6 a.m. and heard the screams, Kent said, “Oh, we’re getting ready to have a baby.” He had delivered babies before in his career. “I told the guys, go grab the OB kit. This sounds like it could be it.”

Stacy Huddle, who was a nurse in Colorado Springs and had even taught labor and delivery classes, says she was “in denial,” thinking maybe the symptoms were from the flu she had been dealing with. Chloe was due a week later (on Stacy's birthday) and as labor was rapidly progressing, Stacy realized her daughter was coming on her own timeframe. 

Not long after Chloe’s birth, the Huddles brought her into Fire Station 15 to visit Alan and thank him for his help. From that moment on, a decision was made that he would be a part of her life moving forward.

For several years, Chloe celebrated her birthday at the fire station, not initially understanding the significance. “I always thought it was kind of different. But it didn’t resonate with me that this wasn’t a normal thing,” she said.

The most memorable birthday of all, she says, was her 15th.

“They’re all special in some sort of way, but my 15th birthday was the golden birthday because I was turning 15 on the 15th with Fire Station 15. That was really special because my whole family was there, my high school friends at the time were there, and it was like the first birthday at the station we’d had in a while.”

The Bottom Line:

“Alan is like another father figure in my life,” said Chloe, and the Kent family isn’t the Kent family. They're just family.”

Kent, who has one son, says of Chloe, “It’s almost like I had a daughter.”