A Mother’s Love
There is no love stronger than the love that a mother has for her child. Most mothers will do anything they can to keep their children safe. Even if it means she is putting her own life on the line, she will. This is what a mother does. It is called maternal instinct. Mothers can find incredible strength when they need it to save the life of their children. Shelby Ann Carter is one of these mothers.
Shelby Ann Carter
Shelby Ann Carter from Wyoming, IL gave birth to her daughter in January 2017, when she was 20-years-old. She was young, but she and her boyfriend couldn’t have been happier when they welcomed the new addition to their family. She named her little girl,
January 30th
Shelby was staying at her mother’s home on January 30th. She loved being at her mother’s house, and Keana had her grandmother to help take care of her. Being at her mother’s house gave Shelby a chance to relax and little and get more sleep at night. On January 30th, the house caught on fire.
Out Of Control
Shelby was on the second floor with her daughter when the fire broke out. The house was old, which caused the fire to spread very quickly. It took less than a minute for the second floor to become engulfed in flames. The smoke was very thick, and the house was dark, and Shelby knew that she wouldn’t be able to get out of the house. She couldn’t see, she couldn’t breathe, but there was something that she needed to do. As a mother, it was up to her to try to save her daughter’s life. Even if she couldn’t save her own, she had to save her baby’s.
The Car Seat
Fortunately, Keana’s car seat was upstairs with Shelby. She grabbed hold of her daughter and strapped her in the car seat nice and tight. She put a blanket over her baby’s head and tossed the car seat out the second-floor window onto the ground. The little girl went out of the window with the protection of her car seat.
The Fire Trucks Arrive
When the fire trucks arrived on the scene, the house was engulfed in flames. One of the first firefighters on the scene saw something fall out of the window when they pulled up. He jumped off the truck and ran over. He saw that Keana was strapped into the car seat and she appeared to be okay. It was a miracle.
Shelby’s Fate
Sadly, Shelby didn’t survive the fire. She died from carbon monoxide poisoning. Her mother says that she can take comfort in the fact that her daughter died in a relatively gentle way. She passed away before her body was burned. This gave her as much comfort as one could expect at the time.
A Quick Thinking Hero
When the local news arrived on the scene, they spoke the Chief of the Wyoming-Speer fire Protection District, Ed Foglesonger. He told the reporter that it was incredible that Shelby was able to pull her thoughts together enough in a moment of such stress and terror to think to strap her daughter in the car seat before sending her out the window. He says that most people would never have had the composure to think so quickly and to act so quickly. Thanks to Shelby’s quick thinking, Keana got a clean bill of health when she was taken to the hospital. Shelby was a hero.
A Heartbroken Community
After the fire, the entire community was heartbroken about what happened to Shelby. The idea of a little girl left without a mother was heartbreaking. While they couldn’t bring Shelby back, they could do something for her grieving mother. A donation site was set up in Shelby’s name to help her mother rebuild the family home. It wouldn’t bring Shelby back, but it would give her daughter a beautiful place to live. In just a few weeks, over $40,000 was donated.
Gone But Not Forgotten
This mother drops her baby from the
