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Nursing

Mom's 'liquid gold' keeps stranger's baby alive

Shelly Slater
WFAA-TV, Dallas, Texas
Dekevyon Chappell faced health issues after his premature birth.

DALLAS -- These are the moments parents live for: The first hellos, reading the first books, and the first trip home.

For Jennifer Tiner, finally bringing Isabella home to meet her big sister was extra special.

"I felt hopeless," she said. "I wouldn't be able to sleep at night because I wanted to help her."

Bella suffered seizures, sometimes dozens a day. No amount of kisses or medicine could stop them.

"She would stop breathing," Tiner explained. "When she would have a seizure, it impacts her brain a lot because she stops breathing. And she had them a lot. We had a lot of scares."

Her family held on to hope, but Bella let go at 13 months old.

Isabella Tiner with family members.

Meantime, a little two-pound baby was born 28 weeks early at Methodist Richardson Medical Center.

Dekevyon Chappell could fit in his mother's hands. Nurses said he needed every bit of help possible, and breast milk was best to ensure his survival.

"They stressed that to the fullest," mom Detra Chappell said. "Like, whatever you can get, put it in the little bottle and bring it."

Chappell — like many mothers — couldn't produce much milk.

A grieving mom's loving gift to another family's child

But thanks to the Mothers' Milk Bank of North Texas and an anonymous donor at Methodist Richardson, the milk came in, ounce-by-ounce.

It turns out that donor was Jennifer Tiner.

Every drop of her milk that had been Bella's went to help little Dekevyon.

"It's amazing. I'm at a loss for words," Chappell said when she met Tiner. "I'm glad I finally got to meet you, because I was always wondering, 'Now, who is it coming from?'"

Tiner didn't just provide a few ounces of milk. Everything she had pumped and stored went to help out. In all, she donated about 33 gallons worth of hard work.

"It's liquid gold, is what it is," Tiner exclaimed.

That gold was gift from Bella.

"She lives on; she's not forgotten," Tiner said. "She saved him through her milk."

"I appreciate you so much. I didn't want to think the worst or nothing," said a tearful Detra Chappell.

The pain is still fresh for both moms, but now they have each other to lean on.

"I'd like to know if you would do the honor of being his godmother?" Chappell asked.

"I'd be happy to!" Tiner replied.

After the death of her baby girl, Jennifer Tiner found that her mother's milk could help give life to a mom she didn't know.

Since meeting, the two families have already celebrated birthdays and Dekevyon's christening together. And while that brings happy moments, Tiner's heart will never be the same after Isabella's death.

"I have that sad feeling, because I loved her and I miss her, but I know God's plan was bigger than mine," she said. "I was at church Wednesday praying, and I asked God, 'Did I not pray enough? What was it?' He said, 'No, my plans are greater than yours.'"

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