Loving angel: How an emergency childbirth made 2 DC neighbors closer than ever before

WASHINGTON (FOX 5 DC) - A pregnant woman in Northeast D.C. was home alone when she went into labor. Her neighbor stepped in just at the right time, and assisted with the delivery.

All this, while the new mother was in the middle of a fight with stage 2 breast cancer.

Niya Kight says her life was flipped upside down last fall when she was diagnosed with cancer during her pregnancy. She went through radiation therapy, but decided to stop a month before the baby was born.

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On May 2, while running errands with her 2-year-old, Niya felt contractions – and she knew her delivery date was coming a little early.

“At 2 p.m. something came on my mind that said this baby will be here before 5,” she said. “I loaded up my car with my son and my dog, drove 15 minutes to Lanham, dropped them off with my parents, took a nice picture and said I have to go.”

After running upstairs to cool off, Kight texted her fiancée asking him, “Please get home.” He called her back saying a neighbor is on the way, and not to worry.

By the time Jodi Chandler arrived, Kight was in full labor.
Kight says Chandler’s presence gave her some extra strength.

“My neighbor grabs my hand, she gives me this look of encouragement,” she said.

“She was really nervous and once she saw me though she got at ease,” Chandler said.

But she knew it was an urgent situation.

“Miss Jodi this baby is not going to wait,” Chandler recalls saying.

The event gave both neighbors a new appreciation for one another.

“She has stage two cancer and the whole time she’s been pregnant she’s never let that keep her down. She’s always so bright and shining and just smiling and just helpful to me,” Chandler said.

“I knew she was a fantastic neighbor but I really feel like she’s a loving angel now,” Kight said.

Kight and her newborn are both doing well.

Kight will be resuming chemotherapy for a few months, but she’s scheduled to be finished by late August.