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Texas Deputy Constable Attends Tiny Tea Party in Honor of Baby Girl He Helped Deliver

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Tony Maples Photography

 

A picture of uniformed Texas Deputy Constable Mark Diebold having a tiny tea party with a beautiful toddler dressed in blue will cause you to get a case of the “feels.” So too, will the story behind it. Officer Diebold helped to deliver baby Evelyn Hall last year, and as a result, her parents now call him “family.”

When Destiny Hall went into labor last year en route to the hospital, the Tarrant County police officer helped to deliver the baby at a Texas gas station. Evelyn, the toddler who has recently celebrated her first birthday, had a tea party photo shoot earlier this month with Officer Diebold, in recognition of that milestone, with the uniformed officer seated on a tiny white chair across from his adoring little companion, sharing an equally tiny cup of tea.

Texas Deputy Constable Attends Tiny Tea Party in Honor of Baby Girl He Helped Deliver

Photo: Facebook/Cyndi Williams Photography

A delightful commemoration of their bond, her mom Destiny said of the photo shoot, “She loved clinking her little tea cup with him,” telling ABC News that Texas photographer Cyndi Williams photographed something special. “They had a bonding moment there for sure,” she explained. “Mark Diebold, without a doubt, is one of the most genuine, loving, thoughtful and caring [people] we have ever met,” Hall continued. “He is quick to think of others and we are so blessed to call him friend and family.”

On July 18, 2016, officer Diebold had been on his way to work when a car flew past him, obviously speeding. In an interview with NBC’s TODAY, he said that he flashed his lights to alert the car’s driver that he was going way too fast. When the officer approached the car at the next traffic light, Caleb Hall, Evelyn’s soon-to-be father, rolled down his window to explain that his wife’s water just broke and the baby was about to make its presence into the world. Moments later, while they were parked at a gas station, officer Diebold helped to deliver Evelyn as Caleb Hall caught his newborn daughter, and Diebold helped clear her airway.

Texas Deputy Constable Attends Tiny Tea Party in Honor of Baby Girl He Helped Deliver

Photo: Facebook/Cyndi Williams Photography

In an interview with HuffPost in 2016, Destiny recalled that “Mark was like a little kid in a candy shop, high-fiving and celebrating with us! He just couldn’t stop smiling and was telling us that we just ‘made his month.’ It was such a wild, weird and wonderful experience.” Having heard about the incredible story, local photographer Cyndi Williams approached the family to extend the offer for a complimentary newborn session. In a nod to officer Diebold’s assistance, they chose to pose Evelyn with his badge and uniform in the shoot. Telling ABC News of the photo shoot, the officer was clearly touched, saying, “It was amazing. It was heartfelt and it was a big deal. That photo shoot reminded me that [police work] is what I need to keep doing until it’s my time to stop.” Officer Diebold had visited Evelyn in the hospital following her birth and has remained in touch with the family since. Remarking how amazed she is at the bond between him and the Hall family, Williams, the photographer, recently noted on her Facebook page, “Officer Diebold, and the Hall family have remained in close contact. The Hall children even refer to Officer Diebold as Uncle Mark!”