New dad Rubin Swift drove across country, from Cleveland, Ohio to Phoenix, Arizona to pick up his newborn baby daughter, whom he had just been granted custody.
Prior to his flight, Swift called Frontier Airlines to make sure he had everything in order to bring him his baby girl. Equipped with all of the proper documentation, Swift tried to board the plane with his 4-day-old daughter Ru-Andria; however, Frontier denied Swift’s boarding claiming they don’t allow infants under the age of 7 days to fly.
“I asked for my money. They said it would take seven days to get your money back,” Swift said.
Swift had already exhausted all of his financial resources to make the trek to Phoenix. He was stuck with a newborn at the Phoenix airport. He didn’t have money for a hotel or a rental car back home.
He reached out to a volunteer at the hospital he had met named Joy Ringhofer.
Swift met Ringhofer at the hospital. When he first arrived to pick up his daughter, Ringhofer was rocking his daughter.
Out of options, Swift reached out to Ringhofer for options on getting home.
“I didn’t expect her to say, ‘I’m coming to get you and take you home.’ So, I’m thinking, ‘She is going to drive me back to Cleveland’ but she actually brought me to her house and feeding me and making sure my baby is alright,” Swift said.
Ringhofer opened up her home to Swift and his baby. For 7 days, the two sought refuge at Ringhofer’s home.
Swift said he was humbled by Ringhofer’s hospitality.
“We’re two different colors and she opened up her door and it never was an issue,” said Swift. “My color was never an issue. She loves my baby. She held her. My baby was with her all night. Who does that?”
“I had such a strong feeling that I needed to do this for him,” said Ringhofer. “I know he was a kind and safe man to have in my home and he has been a perfect gentleman.”
Swift says Ringhofer is his baby’s honorary grandmother.
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