It’s an incredible story: a woman goes jogging and miraculously discovers an abandoned infant who was buried alive, saving his life. This month, popular TV and radio host Ryan Seacrest helped the woman and the baby she rescued – now a grown man – to reunite, giving this amazing story a very happy ending.
The year was 1998, and it was an evening like any other for Azita Milanian – with a small exception. She was invited to go dancing with friends, but instead went jogging with her three dogs on a hiking trail in Altadena, California. Circumstances led her to take a different route for the first time in eight years. One of her dogs noticed something buried in the dirt along the trail. Milanian initially thought it was a dead animal, but thankfully, took a closer look – and found that it was a newborn baby boy, with his umbilical cord still attached. He was unclothed except for a towel wrapped around his tiny body. He was alive, but barely.
Thanks to Milanian’s close attention and caring heart, the infant won the fight for his life. He was brought to a Pasadena hospital, where he was treated for severe hypothermia but eventually made a full recovery. A child services worker named him Christian. Milanian visited him in the hospital and repeatedly contacted child services to try to see him. After a year, she was told that he’d been adopted and she would not be able to visit him again. “It was the most frustrating experience,” she recently told the Los Angeles Times.
Today, the baby Milanian saved is 20 years old. His name is Matthew Christian Whitaker, and he is a college student who aspires to become an entertainment lawyer or an actor. He was raised by loving parents; sadly, his adoptive father died several years ago, but he has a wonderful relationship with his adoptive mother. He didn’t learn that he was adopted until he was 17, and, a couple of years later, his godmother finally told him the story of how he was found.
Then the mother of one of Whitaker’s friends contacted the radio station KIIS FM to tell Whitaker’s story, requesting a 23andMe DNA test so he could learn about his biological roots. Whitaker agreed to have the results of the test revealed on Ryan Seacrest’s radio show, “On Air with Ryan Seacrest” – and the show’s producers launched a plan to reunite Whitaker and Milanian on air. At this point, Milanian had spent nearly 20 years wondering what came of the baby she’d found and hoping he was doing well.
Last week, Milanian was finally able to see for herself just how well Whitaker is doing – thanks in great part to their miraculous encounter all those years ago. The two had a beautiful, emotional reunion on the May 16th taping of “On Air with Ryan Seacrest.” May 16th is a very meaningful date for both Whitaker and Milanian: it is Whitaker’s birthday, as well as the anniversary of Milanian saving his life.
When Milanian walked into the recording studio, she immediately went to Whitaker, threw her arms around him, and burst into tears; a smiling Whitaker hugged her back and told her, “Thank you. You’re an angel.” Milanian then told Whitaker, through tears, “I was waiting for you. 20 years. …Thank you for coming into my life. You changed my life.”
Many onlookers in the studio cried. Even seasoned radio veteran Seacrest couldn’t help but get emotional over this astonishing reunion. “This is why I love being able to be on this show, doing this job… for a moment like this,” he said.
And this isn’t the end of Whitaker and Milanian’s story. In their “On Air” interview with Seacrest, Whitaker said, “I always want to keep in contact with [Milanian],” and announced his plans to invite her to his college graduation. The pair agreed that she was like another mother or godmother to him – or even a “fairy godmother.” It’s a fitting title because their story is pure magic.
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