A couple discovered an unexpected path to parenthood after taking care of a premature baby in the neonatal intensive care unit. Taylor and Drew Deras got married in 2020 and are both NICU nurses who took care of a baby named Ella after she was born in May 2021. She was very sick. Drew told ABC News that "she was at the very edge of being able to survive."
They took care of Ella in the NICU for close to a year. Ella's mom was young and didn't have a stable income or housing situation, though she still visited her daughter at the hospital, The Washington Post reported.
Eventually, though, Ella became a ward of the state. Taylor and Drew had been trying to have a baby of their own for about a year, they told The Washington Post, and they had already spent a lot of time with Ella.
At first, Taylor and Drew decided to become Ella's foster parents. Ella's mom was reportedly supportive of this because she knew that Taylor and Drew had spent lots of time taking care of Ella.
Ella continued to have health challenges, but Drew and Taylor were prepared to deal with them, reported KETV.
Taylor told the outlet that "deep in our hearts, we were always like, 'we want her forever.'"
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Taylor said she loved Ella "as my patient" and then "as my own child," reported ABC News. The couple eventually adopted Ella on November 18, 2023, and Taylor told ABC News that it was "so meant to be."
Now, Ella is almost 3 years old and is starting preschool in the fall. In spite of her health challenges, she's doing well and is getting better each day.
