His girlfriend had left the hospital without signing the discharge papers for their newborn daughter, so Zach, barely able to care for himself, had signed them. At first, I thought he was joking, but he was serious. Despite being young and inexperienced, Zach was determined to care for his daughter because he didn’t want her to grow up alone.

We contacted social services, who told us Zach couldn’t do this alone. But he insisted, saying, “I’m ready.” Over the next months, Zach struggled with sleepless nights, learning how to feed, change, and soothe the baby. There were moments he felt overwhelmed and wanted to give up, but I reassured him we’d face this together.