Indiana foster mom who adopted teen and her triplets appears on TODAY Show

An Indianapolis foster parent and nurse is gaining national attention for opening her heart and home to a 14-year-old mom and her preemie triplets.

Katrina Mullen, 45, of Brownsburg, adopted Shariya Small after the 14-year-old gave birth to premature triplets in 2020. Mullen, a neonatal nurse, cared for Small's babies in the hospital. Mullen said she too had been a teen mother and bonded with Small at the hospital.

FOR SUBSCRIBERS:‘I will be there’: Indy nurse adopts teen mother of preemie triplets to keep family together

"I immediately thought that I needed to give her a shoulder to lean on," Mullen said, adding that after Small was discharged from the hospital, the two remained close.

When a caseworker with the Indiana Department of Child Services investigated the living conditions of Small's home in Kokomo, it was determined Small and her triplets needed to go into foster care.

"Just from being a nurse, I knew there would not be many foster homes that would take a teen mother with three kids... I didn't want them to be separated. I wanted them to stay together."

After five months as the triplets' NICU nurse, and 668 days of fostering the teen, Mullen officially adopted Small on Feb. 6, 2023, becoming both a foster mother and grandmother in one go.

Days after Mullen was featured in an article by IndyStar, writers with the TODAY Show reached out, requesting an interview. Filming for the episode took place around the end of March.

John Tufts covers evening breaking and trending news for the Indianapolis Star. Send him a news tip at JTufts@Gannett.com.