Deyvion was just a baby in a bassinet when a fire tore through the apartment where he slept. Firefighters rescued him from the blaze, but he was left with horrific burns across his face.
It was a miracle that Deyvion survived, and this tough little baby from Missouri began a long recovery at a special burns unit, fighting his way back to health.
He did all of this without loved ones by his side, and it wasn’t until he was 5 years old that he became the foster child of Beth Plunkett, a single mother of two.
“I thought he was a beautiful little boy, and I fell in love with him very quickly,” Beth told WGN9 News.
“I feel everybody says, ‘Oh, he’s so lucky to have you and what you’re doing,’ but I’m just as equally lucky to have him,” she added.
After 2,545 days without a family to call his own, Deyvion was finally adopted by Beth.
“I want him to be, most importantly, just happy,” Beth said. “And I want him to always feel loved and to just… to have goals and reach them and just do amazing, amazing things. And I know he will… God definitely has an awesome plan for him.”
He now has not only his new mom and siblings to love him as he deserves, but also the firefighters who saved him — and they think he’s pretty special too.
Deputy Chief Eric Smith of the South Metro Fire Department in Raymore and his crew never forgot the night they rescued this remarkable boy.
On the day of Deyvion’s adoption, Smith and his team gave him a special jacket and hat made just for him, and they gave him and his mom a ride in their fire truck to the courthouse to make the adoption official.
Smith gave Deyvion a high five and told him how proud he was, adding: “He’s extremely special. We don’t always understand why things happen, but we do now.”
This little boy will always be surrounded by love — and rightfully so. He’s a brave, adorable child who deserves every bit of happiness after everything he’s endured. These are the kinds of stories we need more of. What love. What caring.
Let’s show this little boy even more love and share his story; he’s a true inspiration.
