VIDEO: A Speedy Delivery

TUPELO, Miss. (WCBI News) – Many families in the area are celebrating Father’s Day, and one Pontotoc father in particular is celebrating not only being a father but also a performing a successful emergency delivery on his own daughter.

The couple of Bryon Slack and Viri Diana Holguin thought this would be like any other normal birth when they left their house at 2:20 a.m. on Friday morning, but they were in for a surprising turn of events this Father’s Day season.

“Everything was so quick. The pain got worse and worse, but I thought we were going to have more time to get to the hospital,” said Holguin.

That’s what most expecting couples think, but this birth came quicker than anyone in this family expected, and they were forced to pull over at the Dodge’s Fried Chicken off of West Main Street in Tupelo.

“Someone pulled in, and all of a sudden somebody was giving a birth,” said store manager, Patrick Verner. “Someone called the police department, the fire department, to come out and help. From what I hear, by the time they got there, there was a sweet, little baby girl sitting right next to mama.”

It was Bryon who had to deliver his daughter, and instead of panic he was calm and collected, his fatherly instinct taking over.

“In the car, I was just thinking I had to do everything possible to make sure that the baby was OK,” said Slack. “At that moment, I really didn’t think about nothing else, and I didn’t really get into shock until after it all happened.”

The birth being so close to Father’s Day made this season even more special, not just for Bryon and Viri but their whole family.

“I was just so proud to be a proud mother, that son just had that experience, and also be a proud grandmother to know that the baby is healthy as can be and the mother also,” said Slack’s mother, Melinda Silas.

“I think that this close to Father’s Day, I think that Bryon is probably elated. Not only has the baby been born, but Bryon delivered the baby at Dodge’s. I almost passed out, myself,” said Slack’s aunt, Drustella Neely.

“I feel overwhelmed, a little bit, from the situation, what occurred. I’m just happy; I’m just happy,” said Slack.

The daughter’s name is Leah Imani Slack, Imani being Swahili for faith.

She is perfectly healthy with no complications.