Thank heavens Mary Bussey was in the right place at the right time last Saturday to catch a falling baby. Call it divine intervention or mere chance, but the Denver woman came along just at the right moment to save the child from the impact of a three-story fall.
Bussey and her 13-year-old son were leaving their condominium on their way to the teenager’s football game when Bussey heard a cry. She looked up and saw a baby dangling off a balcony, seemingly hanging by a thread.
The baby, whose mother is a teenager, was supposed to be in the care of her two uncles, ages 10 and 13, who left the baby alone. We hope social services will thoroughly investigate the situation and make the appropriate decision to ensure the child’s long-term well-being.
But in the short-term, her fate was in the hands of Bussey. When she realized the child, who is 9 months old, was holding on for dear life by just one hand, she sent her son up to attempt to rescue the little girl. Then, she positioned herself under the railing. The son didn’t reach the girl in time, but Bussey was there was she fell, arms outstretched, and made what was certainly the most important catch of her life.
Rare are the moments for greatness, in which one can save a life or change the course of events. And frequently, they are just that – moments. No time for reflection, plan or philosophy, just reaction.
Many of us think we know what we’d do in such situations, but of course we don’t. That Bussey had the presence of mind to catch the baby and not fumble – a feat she says was helped by childhood football with her brothers – was wonderful indeed.
Good on you, Mary Bussey.
