Albuquerque Police Officer Ryan Holets wanted to put a face on this country’s opioid and drug epidemic so he shared his story with the press about how he adopted a baby from a homeless heroin addict he came across on the streets.
“We didn’t do this to have a story,” Holets said in an interview with The Washington Post . “That is entirely not why we did it, but after talking to some close friends whom I trust, we realized this was a way to put a face on the drug problem and maybe encourage other people to adopt.”
Holets was responding to a possible theft when he found 35-year-old Crystal Champ who was eight months pregnant and about to inject heroin into her arm in an area outside the store.
Holets asked her why she was doing this and told her that she could be killing her baby.
“How dare you judge me? You have no idea how hard this is,” Champ explained to CNN about how she felt. “I know what a horrible person I am. I know what a horrible situation I’m in.”
She then explained to Holets that she wanted nothing more than her child to go a loving family that would adopt her.
So, without consulting his wife or four children, he told Champ that he would adopt her baby.
“I just felt God telling me, ‘Tell her that you will do it because you can,’” Holets said.
He and his wife had actually discussed adopting a baby before and were overjoyed to welcome Champ’s baby girl into their home once she was born.
“His entire being changed,” Champ said. “He just became a human being instead of a police officer.”
Holets named his daughter Hope, which he later found out was Champ’s middle name.
The child was born with neonatal abstinence syndrome and had to stay in the hospital a little longer so that she could be helped through her withdrawals.
Neonatal abstinence syndrome has increased about 300 percent between 1999 and 2013 in 28 states according to a 2016 study, The Washington Post reports.
Thankfully, Hope is doing well.
Holets said he is attempting to help Champ and her partner find a rehabilitation center so that they can get clean.
He also gave them a tablet computer so that they can see pictures of Hope over email. Learn more about Holets’ incredibly selfless act in the video below.
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