was a 2-month-old baby who suddenly stopped breathing. Her tortured
father stood outside his apartment holding his baby, who had gone limp,
unsure of what he could do to save her life.
Then-Sgt. Joseph Barca was the first to respond to the call and the officer became a hero that day when he managed to clear
the infant's airway obstruction and help her take a breath. Basically, he saved her life as she was on her way to the hospital.
Over the years, Barca and the girl's family stayed in touch and
Shammarah's parents -- who are from Palestine -- even referred to the
cop as their daughter's "American father." And then the sweetest reward
of all came: the nursing school graduate, now 20, invited the police officer and his wife to her wedding.
Barca
and Hamideh made headlines in the '90s. Remembering it as a day he'd
never forget, the officer said resuscitation didn't work for the infant
and that he had to hit her on the back a few times and then try and
breath into her mouth again and again.
I can't imagine the joy experienced in that hospital room when
Hamideh's father, who was left alone in front of their apartment as an
ambulance whisked his baby away, arrived to find Barca was alive and
well. The cop says he told him, "You hear that baby crying? That's
yours," and that dad then began sobbing. Reading that makes me want to
cry, too!
Hamideh will be married in August in Chicago. She says Barca sends her a birthday card and a check every year on her birthday and that he and his wife treat her like a daughter.
What a sweet story. With so much negative attention placed on police
officers lately, it's good to remember that there are just as many good
apples in the world -- in all professions -- as there are bad ones. Love that these folks all keep in touch and that gratitude is alive and well.
What do you think about this story? Are you getting tired of hearing so many negative tales about police officers?
Image via Yonkers Police Department/Facebook
| The Stir
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