They had come to say goodbye to Firefighter Michael Altman, a fourth‑generation Chicago hero who died after falling through a collapsing floor while battling a brutal blaze. His brothers and sisters in uniform stood shoulder to shoulder, prepared to honor a man known for running toward danger and loving his young family with the same fierce devotion. The flag‑draped rituals were set, the speeches written, the final bell ready to toll.
Then word came that his wife, Nora, had gone into labor. The funeral was postponed as their daughter, Evelyn Rose, entered a world her father had just left. In one wrenching day, the Altmans faced the impossible: planning a burial and cradling new life. Chicago has wrapped its arms around them, grieving a husband and father while welcoming the child who will grow up hearing how her dad died saving others—and how, in a way, she saved his last goodbye.
