In the summer of 2000, Danny Stewart, then 34, was rushing through Union Square station in New York City when he noticed a bundle of clothes in a corner. Peeling back a dark sweatshirt, he discovered a newborn baby with the umbilical cord still attached. He called 911 and stayed with the infant until police arrived.
Twelve weeks later, at a court hearing for the baby, whose mother could not be found, a judge asked Stewart if he was interested in adopting. Despite initial hesitation from his partner, Pete, the couple visited the baby in foster care and decided to become a family. They were granted custody on 20 December 2000 and named the baby Kevin.
Stewart and Pete, who later married, wrote a story for Kevin about how they became a family. As a teenager, Kevin had questions about his birth mother and would look at strangers' faces for resemblance, but has since made peace with the situation. Now 26, Kevin works as a software developer and remains close to his fathers.
Reflecting on their journey, Stewart says: 'Even 26 years later, we can’t quite believe that, by some miracle, it was us who were given the privilege of being part of Kevin’s life. How lucky we are.'
