Against the Odds, Baby Leilani Reunites with Her Firehouse 21 Heroes
Published on June 16, 2025
Five months after Leilani’s unexpected birth at home, her mother returned to Firehouse 21 to thank the crew who helped save her baby’s life. Firefighters White and Taylor were among the first on scene and worked quickly to care for both mother and child before medics arrived.
When Engine 21 was dispatched on the morning of January 5, 2025, the crew from Charlotte Firehouse 21 expected a routine call. The dispatch was for abdominal pain, something common and usually uneventful.
What unfolded instead was a moment none of them will ever forget.
“We were dispatched for abdominal pain, nothing more,” said Captain Shane Fields. “We made our way upstairs and found a young woman on the floor. Her family thought she was having severe cramps. No one, not even she, knew she was pregnant.”
The 22-year-old woman, Halena Khen, had been in her mother’s bedroom, doubled over in pain. When it became unbearable, her father and brother tried to help her downstairs, but she asked to be laid on the floor. The family called 911.
By the time Firefighters Stephen Taylor and Grant White reached her, Halena’s sister-in-law mentioned that something had “fallen out.” At first, the crew believed she may have had a miscarriage. But when they gently removed her pajama pants, they found what appeared to be a stillborn fetus lying on the floor.
Firefighter Grant White assisted with caring for Halena Khen after Leilani’s surprise delivery. He and Taylor worked side by side during the critical first moments before medics arrived.
Taylor moved to wrap the small body in a towel.
A tiny cry, faint but clear.
“I looked at Captain Fields and said, ‘That wasn’t me,’” Taylor recalled. “And that’s when everything changed.”
Fields ran outside to get help. He told Engineer Joshua Cook to retrieve the OB kit and radioed Medic to upgrade the call to emergency response. Inside, Taylor and White immediately began to care for the infant and Halena.
Taylor focused on the newborn, clearing the airway, wiping her down, and cutting the cord. White stayed with Halena, who was emotionally stunned and trying to process what had just happened. The baby was so small that Taylor held her in one hand.
“I’ll never forget it,” he said. “Her head rested between two of my fingers, and her feet didn’t even reach my watchband.”
The medic crew arrived quickly. It was a clear “load and go.” They asked Taylor to ride in the ambulance, given his role in stabilizing the infant.
On his first day at Firehouse 21, Stephen Taylor helped care for a premature newborn he initially believed hadn’t survived. Moments later, the baby cried — and he sprang into action.
As Taylor carried the baby downstairs, Halena’s father, still unaware of what had just happened, watched silently as the firefighters passed by.
In the ambulance, the crew tried to use a neonatal bag valve mask to provide oxygen, but even that was too large. They improvised with a non-rebreather mask, giving the baby blow-by oxygen as Taylor held her close.
At the hospital, doctors were stunned. The baby was alive and breathing on her own. Staff estimated she was around 20 to 22 weeks gestation. Taylor watched as they laid her on the scale: one pound, seven ounces.
The call ended, and like most calls, the crew prepared to move on.
But this time, Captain Fields remembered something important: Halena’s last name.
“On the way home, I called the hospital and asked for her room,” he said. “She told me the baby was still breathing on her own. I asked to be transferred to the NICU and talked to a nurse who confirmed it.”
Born at an estimated 20 to 22 weeks gestation, Leilani spent four months in the NICU before being released in May. She returned home on oxygen and was later cleared for daytime use without it.
That baby, born unexpectedly and with long odds, would be named Leilani Chavis.
In the months that followed, Halena sent regular updates to Fields. There were photos of Leilani in the NICU, reports on her oxygen levels, and notes about feeding progress. Every step forward was a milestone.
Leilani was released from the hospital in early May, several weeks past her original due date. She returned home with supplemental oxygen and continued to grow stronger. Earlier this month, her pulmonologist cleared her to be off oxygen during the day. Halena sent Fields a message letting him know.
And today, on Father’s Day, Leilani visited Firehouse 21 for the first time, meeting the crew who helped save her life that morning.
The firefighters gathered to see her — not as a patient, but as a vibrant, growing baby girl.
Halena Khen, Christian Chavis, and baby Leilani pose with the Engine 21 crew who helped during her surprise home birth. Pictured are Firefighters Grant White, Stephen Taylor, Engineer Josh Cook and Captain Shane Fields.
“It’s surreal,” said White. “What we saw that day didn’t even look real. Her skin was translucent. You could see every vein. And now she’s here. She looks like any other baby.”
Taylor, who rode with her that morning, said the moment brought clarity to a day that still feels hard to believe.
“I’ve done CPR. I’ve seen people come back. But this was different,” he said. “There was no prep, no heads-up. Just instinct and training.”
White, who was still relatively new to Charlotte Fire at the time, said the experience bonded the crew in a way no routine call ever could.
“It was my second call at Firehouse 21,” said Taylor. “And there we were, delivering a baby nobody knew existed. That’s not something you forget.”
For Halena, the reunion was her first time seeing the crew since that unforgettable day.
Now five months old, Leilani Chavis was born at just one pound, seven ounces. On this visit to Firehouse 21, she was alert, smiling, and off oxygen during the day.
“I didn’t even know I was pregnant,” she said. “I just thought I had cramps. Even in the emergency room, I didn’t believe it until I saw her later that night.”
Leilani’s father, Christian Chavis, wasn’t at the scene that morning, but he rushed to the hospital as soon as he got the call.
“At first, I thought someone was joking with me,” he said. “But I went straight to the hospital. I had no idea.”
It was his first child. And on Father’s Day, he stood beside Halena and Leilani at Firehouse 21 — watching his daughter meet the people who helped save her life.
"This is a powerful reminder of what our firefighters are trained to do: act quickly, work as a team, and give someone their best chance," said Charlotte Fire Chief Reginald Johnson. "I’m proud of the crew at Firehouse 21 and grateful they were there for this family on that day."
This Father’s Day marked a special first for Christian Chavis — his first visit to the firehouse with his daughter Leilani, nearly six months after her unexpected birth at home.
Since her birth, Leilani has faced challenges, including breathing issues, feeding complications, and months of intensive care. But today, she’s alert, off oxygen during the day, and expected to be off it completely by the end of the month.
The family now moves forward with a baby girl they never expected but couldn’t be more grateful for.
“She wasn’t supposed to be here,” said Fields. “But somehow, she is. And she’s thriving.”
Firefighters often speak of closure, and how rare it is in their line of work. Calls blur together. Outcomes remain unknown. But this time, they got to see the final chapter.
“You never get the last paragraph,” Fields said. “But today, we did.”
On Father’s Day, the family visited Firehouse 21 for the first time since Leilani’s premature birth at home nearly six months earlier — a powerful reunion with the crew who helped save her life.