A police officer in Argentina has been lauded as a hero for taking the initiative to breastfeed a starving baby. When the infant was brought in, Officer Celeste Jaqueline Ayala was on guard duty at a children’s hospital. She asked hospital personnel whether she could hold the infant after hearing him cry for food and began nursing him, according to the Mirror.

As soon as he was fed, the wailing infant began to calm down. The event occurred last Wednesday at Buenos Aires’ Sor Maria Ludovica Children’s Hospital.

Onlooker Marcos Heredia took a photo of the touching scene and published it on Facebook, where it instantly went viral.

On Facebook only, the photo has received over 1 lakh shares and hundreds of comments applauding Ms. Ayala since it was placed online. Her name has even been converted into a hashtag on Twitter.

Ms. Ayala’s act of generosity was recognized by Cristian Ritondo, the vice president of the Buenos Aires legislature, who promoted her from police officer to sergeant for her “spontaneous loving gesture.”

“Celeste received an email today informing her of her promotion. We wanted to thank you in person for the spontaneous act of kindness that soothed the baby’s “In a tweet, he said

Celeste Ayala said she did not hesitate to assist the baby. “It was a horrible moment; seeing him like this broke my heart; society should be sensitive to concerns impacting children; it cannot continue,” she remarked.