25 years ago, a newborn abandoned baby was found by a police officer in a trash dumpster. The baby had been abandoned by his mother and left to die in the trash dumpster. In 2014, the police officer and the now grown up baby had an emotional reunion.
On November 21, 1989, Michael Bulena, a police officer in Santa Ana, California was investigating an unrelated crime in the area, when he heard the soft cries of a baby coming from a place where no baby should have been.
At the time of the incident, Officer Buelna was a young cop on duty in Santa Ana and investigating a stabbing that had taken place in the area a few days earlier. It was an unusually chilly evening that day and as he was making his rounds, some of the people in the neighbourhood told him that they had heard a baby crying.
On hearing that, Officer Buelna decided to investigate the reports of a crying baby. As he approached the dumpster, he thought he heard a soft noise that sounded like a cat softly mewling. He pushed some of the trash out of the way and there he found the little baby, crying his heart out in the midst of the garbage. The baby was barely alive and maybe would have died if he hadn’t been found that time.
It was also then that the Officer noticed that the baby’s umbilical cord was still attached and that he was also covered in a thin, slimy substance like mucous. There was gravel and trash particles also sticking to the baby’s pale skin. Noticing that the baby’s breathing was very faint, Buelna picked him up in his arms and gently cradling him, tried to give some breath.
The cold and dirty little baby responded to the officer’s breath but it was plain that the baby needed immediate medical attention. Noting that, Buelna immediately rushed him to the nearest hospital where the paramedics started to immediately treat the baby and managed to save his life. While he was taking the baby to the hospital, Bulena decided that the baby needed a name and thought Adam would be an appropriate name.
After he responded to the medical attention, Adam slowly recovered complete health and even gained four pounds. He was then registered in the Orange County Register, where he was put up for adoption, since it was very clear that his birth parents had not wanted him.
By this time, Bulena was quite attached to the baby and was considering adopting Adam as his son. But sadly, before he could get a chance to begin the paperwork and documentation for the adoption process, a couple called Elizabeth Barton and Daniel Fernandez, who wanted a child of their own adopted Adam. After he was adopted, Adam’s new parents changed his name to Robin.
Soon, he was named Robin Barton and he was raised in a loving and wonderful environment with parents who adored him. He was a healthy, happy and normal child and did not know of the terrible circumstances that had led to him being adopted by his parents. However, many years after he grew up to be an adult, his adoptive parents decided to reveal the truth to Robin.
When Robin was about 24 years, his adoptive parents decided that it was time to tell him about how he came to be with them. When the truth came out, he was shocked to hear about the tragic and infamous story of how he had been abandoned and left to die in a dumpster. However, he was quite touched by the act of Officer Buelna who rescued him and saved him from death. Robin decided then and there that he would like to meet Buelna.
During the period that passed by, Officer Buelna continued to work with the Police department and as was his nature helped many people during his term as a police officer. He retired around his late 50’s and led a retired life in his Orange County residence. However, he could never get little Adam out of his mind and constantly wondered what had become of him.
In the meantime, unbeknownst to Buelna, the now 25 years old Robin/Adam had been trying to track him and finally found his rescuer. Robin and his adoptive parents made their way to Buelna’s home so that they could meet him in person and have a reunion.
When Buelna and Robin met, it was a tearful reunion and they hugged for a long time. They also talked about their own lives and experiences and it was revealed why Buelna felt so strongly attached to Robin-it was because Buelna had also been abandoned as a child.It turned out that Buelna and his siblings had been abandoned by their mother when they were very young and had been forced to enter the system as a result.
Robin of course was delighted to meet his saviour and to shake hands with him and say “thank you” in person. Moved to tears, Buelna assured Robin that it was his pleasure and that he was happy things had worked out for Robin.
Even Robin’s parents were glad to have this opportunity to meet Bulena as they had never head the opportunity to thank him earlier for saving Robin’s life which gave them the chance to have a child of their own.
But Robin had some more ideas for which he needed Buelna’s help. He said that despite the unfortunate circumstances surrounding his birth and infancy, he forgave his mother for what she did because he is in no doubt that she was most likely a poor young woman in a very compromising position and that he had been trying to find her for the last 20 years.
After their emotional meeting, Buelna offered his help for searching Robin’s birth parents because he had more resources as a former police officer. After a few months of searching, they found the birth mother whose name was Sabrina Diaz and she was 19 when she gave birth to Robin.
Unfortunately, Sabrina’s life didn’t turn out as well as the life of the baby that she had abandoned. It turns out that she spent several years in prison for child endangerment and attempted murder. But Robin was ready to forgive her for all of her faults when he found her.
By that time, Sabrina had already served her three year prison term and then deported to Mexico which of course didn’t deter Robin at all. He managed to reach out to her and speak to her which gave him the much needed closure.
When Robin’s initial reunion of Robin and Buelna was aired by ABC7, his biological father contacted the station and said that he had been trying to find his child for years. It seemed that Marcos Meza, the biological father had an affair with Sabrina when she was 19 and only found out about his son’s existence when the police questioned him. When he found out about Robin, he wanted to meet him too.
So Robin’s biological father met him along with two of Robin’s five sisters. Robin was thrilled to have an extended family and couldn’t contain his excitement. He was so grateful to have had the opportunity to find his family and also the person who saved his life.
Robin and Buelna’s relationship has only become stronger and closer and they talk often. Buelna is happy that he got to meet the baby boy whom he saved many years ago and that he has grown into a fine young man. He hopes that they will keep meeting again often. What an inspiring story!
Did you know these Moles on your body hold some secret about you