{"id":349071,"date":"2025-11-01T23:44:17","date_gmt":"2025-11-01T23:44:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/349071\/"},"modified":"2025-11-01T23:44:17","modified_gmt":"2025-11-01T23:44:17","slug":"fort-worth-injured-firefighter-and-prematurely-born-son-reunited-at-home","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/349071\/","title":{"rendered":"Fort Worth injured firefighter and prematurely born son reunited at home"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>\u201cTwo miracles take a lot of work.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s how Haley Halvorson describes her life right now.<\/p>\n<p>Most people can\u2019t speak to the challenges of looking after a single miracle, let alone two. But she is an expert.<\/p>\n<p>She\u2019s helping her firefighter husband recover from a work-related injury while also caring for their son who recently came home following months in the neonatal intensive care unit. Through it all, the family is grateful and happy to be together.<\/p>\n<p>In September, her husband, Caleb Halvorson, sustained grave injuries while on duty fighting a fire in the Historic Southside. When a garage door collapsed, Caleb was trapped. In less than two minutes, he was rescued and rushed to Parkland Hospital in Dallas. He spent 34 days in the burn unit where he was treated for a dislocated knee, several third degree burns across his body and multiple ligament tears.<\/p>\n<p>The couple\u2019s son, Hudson Halvorson, is a miracle, too. Born 13 weeks early, the 1-pound 9.6-ounce preemie spent 112 days in the neonatal intensive care unit. Hudson\u2019s health before his birth was scary, too. Every doctor\u2019s appointment during the pregnancy held bad news after bad news, Caleb said.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEvery doctor\u2019s appointment, (we left) in tears because you\u2019re like, \u201cWhy? Why is this happening? Is he gonna live?\u201d Caleb said.<\/p>\n<p>In mid-October, father and son reunited at home. With their life more settled and parenthood becoming their focus, Caleb and Haley feel they can now begin looking forward.<\/p>\n<p>As is the case for many parents, a principal challenge is setting a routine, they say.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Caleb\u2019s recovery makes it more difficult. The firefighter is still unable to move easily on his own and is dependent upon his wheelchair during the day.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"780\" height=\"520\" data-attachment-id=\"312942\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/fortworthreport.org\/img_3588\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/fortworthreport.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_3588-.jpg?fit=2048%2C1365&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"2048,1365\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;4&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;Ismael Belkoura&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;Canon EOS Rebel T7&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;Baby Hudson Halvorson, Haley Halvorson and Firefighter Caleb Halvorson on Oct. 21, 2025. (Ismael M. Belkoura | Fort Worth Report)&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1761041613&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;18&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;200&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.0015625&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"IMG_3588-\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Haley Halvorson and firefighter Caleb Halvorson sit outside their home to speak to reporters Oct. 21, 2025. (Ismael M. Belkoura | Fort Worth Report)&lt;\/p&gt;&#10;\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/fortworthreport.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_3588-.jpg?fit=300%2C200&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/fortworthreport.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_3588-.jpg?fit=780%2C520&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/IMG_3588-.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-312942\"  \/>Haley Halvorson and firefighter Caleb Halvorson sit outside their home to speak to reporters Oct. 21, 2025. (Ismael M. Belkoura | Fort Worth Report)<\/p>\n<p>Caleb assists with child care when he can, like feeding Hudson or holding him while Haley does some other task. Still, the sense he isn\u2019t doing enough still lingers, Caleb said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think the worst part for me is, other than the physical pain, I constantly feel like a burden,\u201d Caleb said.<\/p>\n<p>The Halvorsons have a good support system. In addition to assists from the Fort Worth Fire Department, Caleb Halvorson\u2019s mother and stepfather \u2014 whose home the couple now share \u2014 have helped massively, Haley said.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen (Caleb and the baby) were both in the hospital, it was emotionally hard to have them so far away and not have them in one place,\u201d Haley said. \u201cBut now that they\u2019re in one place, it\u2019s more physically hard, because you can\u2019t just push a button and call a nurse to come take care of things.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>But the challenges of parenthood are more than welcome.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAll I can do is start crying because I\u2019m just like, \u2018Thank you, God, for letting this happen right now,\u2019\u201d Caleb said. \u201cI\u2019m just grateful that I\u2019m even in that situation.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Both Halvorsons are excited for the future. It\u2019s still early, but Hudson is developing quickly. The couple joked about how talkative and active the infant is.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"780\" height=\"520\" data-attachment-id=\"312944\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/fortworthreport.org\/img_3651-2\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/fortworthreport.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_3651-.jpg?fit=2048%2C1365&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"2048,1365\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;4&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;Ismael Belkoura&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;Canon EOS Rebel T7&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;Baby Hudson Halvorson, Haley Halvorson and Firefighter Caleb Halvorson on Oct. 21, 2025. (Ismael M. Belkoura | Fort Worth Report)&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1761043477&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;85&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;200&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.003125&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"IMG_3651-\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Baby Hudson Halvorson enjoys a meal on Oct. 21, 2025. (Ismael M. Belkoura | Fort Worth Report)&lt;\/p&gt;&#10;\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/fortworthreport.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_3651-.jpg?fit=300%2C200&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/fortworthreport.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_3651-.jpg?fit=780%2C520&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/IMG_3651-.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-312944\"  \/>Baby Hudson Halvorson enjoys a meal on Oct. 21, 2025. (Ismael M. Belkoura | Fort Worth Report)<\/p>\n<p>Alongside the joys of experiencing parenthood together, Caleb and Haley have a lot to look forward to. Caleb has several surgeries for his knee and torn ligaments in the near future but feels he is on the road to recovery.<\/p>\n<p>Haley, who took a pause from nursing school after Hudson was born, is now finishing her last course. She hopes to graduate in the winter.<\/p>\n<p>And Caleb definitely plans to rejoin his brothers and sisters at the firefighting brigade. He was part of the department for three years before his accident. The job is his calling, he says.<\/p>\n<p>Caleb notes the fire wasn\u2019t in his station\u2019s area, and that it was just happenstance that the truck was nearby. Caleb said, incredibly, his injuries and what occurred was a best-case scenario.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>If another station or another firefighter had been in his shoes, they might not be alive today. He is grateful to be able to keep someone else out of harm\u2019s way.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou would take this for another guy or girl that you work with,\u201d Caleb said. \u201cThat\u2019s what I\u2019m excited to get back to, that really strong bond and that really strong family.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ismael M. Belkoura is the health reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at <a href=\"https:\/\/fortworthreport.org\/2025\/11\/01\/fort-worth-injured-firefighter-and-prematurely-born-son-reunited-at-home\/mailto:ismael.belkoura@fortworthreport.org\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">ismael.belkoura@fortworthreport.org<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy <a href=\"https:\/\/fortworthreport.org\/about\/fort-worth-report-editorial-independence-policy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\n\tRelated\n<\/p>\n<p>Fort Worth Report is <a href=\"https:\/\/fortworthreport.org\/2024\/08\/25\/fort-worth-report-achieves-global-trust-certification-heres-what-it-means-for-our-community\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative<\/a> for adhering to standards for ethical journalism.<\/p>\n<p>Republish This Story<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"license\" rel=\"noreferrer license noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nd\/4.0\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"88\" height=\"31\" alt=\"Creative Commons License\" style=\"border-width:0\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/1758084579_646_cc-by-nd-4.0.png\"\/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Republishing is free for noncommercial entities. Commercial entities are prohibited without a licensing agreement. Contact us for details. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u201cTwo miracles take a lot of work.\u201d That\u2019s how Haley Halvorson describes her life right now. Most people&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":349072,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5138],"tags":[5229,6526,7371,10173,7372,5615,358,3187,67,586,132,5230,68,2969],"class_list":{"0":"post-349071","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-fort-worth","8":"tag-america","9":"tag-firefighters","10":"tag-fort-worth","11":"tag-fort-worth-fire-department","12":"tag-fortworth","13":"tag-lead","14":"tag-texas","15":"tag-tx","16":"tag-united-states","17":"tag-united-states-of-america","18":"tag-unitedstates","19":"tag-unitedstatesofamerica","20":"tag-us","21":"tag-usa"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115477104297894836","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/349071","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=349071"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/349071\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/349072"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=349071"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=349071"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=349071"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}