Aired 4-23-2008. ("I Know her Personally At School") This Story Has Made it to Cnn.
Bethany Laroche From Gunter Tx Meets Bill Kotch,The Man Who Saved Her Life.
"On April 5, 1990, Bill Kotch of Jones, Oklahoma, found himself in an unbelievable situation. Why it happened to him is unclear. Most likely, it was fate. But for the last 18 years of his life it's felt like a lifetime of wonder.
"He gave her a gift. He gave her something that no one else could give her, and I think in return, she kind of gave him something."
A cold April morning 18 years ago, a man holds in his arms an infant, later known as baby girl doe. Two lives intertwined for a brief moment, but a lifetime of wonder and worry follow.
Bill Kotch has spent most of his life driving across America from one state to another. On his last trip home, he got call he wouldn't forget. "Coming home, they called me and told me I was on layoff." This news was nothing compared to a letter he'd receive the next day from a young girl in Gunter, Texas.
"Dear Mr. Kotch, My name is Bethany LaRoche. You don't know me, but you know of me. It has been almost 18years since we last met. I'd like to thank you for helping save my life. You see, I was the tiny baby girl you found in the back of your truck on April 5, 1990."
On that April morning, Kotch was headed home on I35, when he decided to take a nap. He pulled into what was then a Denny's restaurant in Gainesville, TX. He closed his eyes, but was awaken a short time later. "I rolled the window town, trying to wake up. I heard this noise in the back of my pick-up. At first I thought someone left a litter of pups on the back of my truck." It wasn't puppies, instead a baby girl.
"She had been abandoned; her mother I guess didn't just want to throw her away. Her mother put her in the backend of the pickup and later called the place to make sure someone found the baby." Joe LaRoche is thankful for what Bill Kotch did next; wrapping the baby in a dish rag, then running into the restaurant to call for help. Police and paramedics arrived shortly after and within minutes, baby girl doe was taken away and Kotch never saw her again.
"This man has spent the last 18 years worrying about her, thinking about her. He has an entire community that knows about her and has talked about her." Baby girl doe, now known as Bethany LaRoche was adopted by Patty and Joe LaRoche just four days after that fateful April day.
Bethany is now a senior at Gunter High School and has high hopes of one day working with animals. While she couldn't be a happier, more normal teenager, there are still questions about her past she needs answers to. "At first I was thinking, why did she do this to me? Was I not wanted? But then my mom and I started talking and I had to write down my feelings. She wanted me to do that. She said think of it as she wanted you found, because she couldn't take care of you."
That's what led up to the defining moment, when Bethany got the courage to find the man that saved her life. "My little sister found out that one of my friends of two years is her older biological sister. My mom showed me documents so I could reconnect with my past. I saw his name, wanted to write a letter because he must be wondering what happened to that baby in my truck."
Hundreds of miles away, Bill Kotch lives at the same address. He still has questions of what happened to the little girl he held in his arms for a brief moment so many years ago. "I'm just so overwhelmed this happened and heard from this little girl. The mystery has been solved."
On April 5th 2008-- a reunion so many years in the making. A young girl became a woman and the man partly responsible was able to share that special moment."
(Copyright Kxii And It's Respective Owner's)
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I know her
ecmcniel 3 years ago 2