Losing your child is a parent’s worst nightmare. No matter how much you get scolded by your parents, you are definitely going to be accepted by them in the end. Some people are not that lucky. Some children don't even get to see their parent's faces or get accepted by their parents. Here's a story of a baby who became the "Burger King baby".
Burger King has been ruling the world of fast foods since the time it has been introduced. No matter how hard many other patrons tried to bring burgers into the market, the people would only go for Burger King as it is the "king" of the burgers.
On a one fine evening of September 15th, 1986, an outlet of Burger King situated in Allentown, Pennsylvania, was buzzing with the crowd. The staff had no time to even take a loo break. They wore a smile and continued serving their clients the best.
While the staff was busy serving the clients, they got distracted by a shrieking noise. The noise was a loud cry of an infant. The staff thought of minding their business hence ignored the cry in all the best ways they could.
The cries would not stop even after two hours. The employees thought, "ugh, that parent's got their hands full with a fussy child." Little did they know that the statement they made was opposite to the situation that they were going to discover later.
The manager scanned the seats and looked for the crying child. To the manager's dismay, she could not find a single child there. Perplexed she searched every possible room so that she could request the parents of the child to take that child somewhere out so that other employees could work easily.
Even the kitchen was investigated but the existence of the child was yet unsure. The manager got worried about the prestige of the outlet and continued looking for the child. The hunt included many employees too.
Employees thought that they've been pranked by someone and were being captured. Employees gave up on the search and started packing their bags to go home but the manager kept on searching the baby.
The manager went to the restroom. While doing her makeup, she got to hear that crying voice once again. She followed the voice and felt disheartened on finding out who made that sound.
On following the cry, she found a little soul wrapped in a sweater on the floor beneath the sink. The manager found a baby girl and guessed her to be a few hours old. The manager realized that the infant was abandoned as there was no sign of her responsible guardian near her.
As soon as the manager discovered the infant, she informed the staff members about it. They were equally terrified to see that child struggling to survive. Without wasting a single minute, the staff took a decision.
Burger King's staff promptly called an ambulance. EMTs arrived and confirmed that the baby girl was 3 hours old and healthy. The baby was given enough treatment by the doctors and was put to sleep after feeding.
The Police of Allentown arrived on the scene. They promised that they would track down the information about the infant's parents and ask the reason for abandoning the baby. The police were still unsure of the point where they should start the investigation.
One officer commented, "Right now, we're the only thing this kid's got in terms of a family." Those words were promising enough which made the staff breathe a sigh of relief. The staff trusted the police in this aspect and continued minding their business. The police turned to the public to find the parents.
The baby was under the supervision of EMTs. While cuddling the infant, one of the EMT exclaimed, "I'm sure whoever gave her up is having a very hard time right now." She gave another dimension to the story with her statement.
When nobody turned in, police took advantage of all the local news stations. The "Burger King Baby" became the hot one-liner for the news. The department of police hoped that they could trigger the parents who would be guilty, but things did not go with the flow.
The police investigated as much as they could do but no sign of the infant's parentage was found. Tired and disheartened police called off the investigation and all they could do was pity the little soul.
After all exhausting investigations, interviews, and fingerprints, the infant remained parentless. The authorities who were taking care of the infant then put her up for the adoption. Her chaotic entry to the world did not make her look more vulnerable and finally moved to her first house where she could find love and affection.
After learning about the abandoned baby in the bathroom through various news channels, Brenda and Carl Hollis agreed upon adopting the "Burger King Baby". The couple was eager to have a child of their own so they thought of adopting one.
The couple named the baby "Katheryn". For the very first time, the "burger king baby" had an identity of her own. With a promise to give Katheryn all the love and affection she deserved, the couple headed to become a "happy family".
Katheryn, like any other girl of her age, attended dance classes, participated in sports and completed homework on time. She was a good scholar and along with studies, she had a keen interest in extra-curricular activities. Her parents used to provide her with the best facilities available.
As Katheryn grew old, her parents became anxious and were dilemmatic whether to reveal the truth or not. Brenda and Carl never faced the kind of stress they were facing at that moment in their lives, but somehow, they decided upon something and were about to implement the same.
Katheryn soon turned 12 and was undoubtedly understanding. Hollis and Brenda thought it to be the right time to disclose the secret they were keeping since Katheryn's infancy. It was hard to reveal all that but, the couple took the step and told Katheryn the whole story of her abandonment.
After learning the truth from her parents, her world turned upside down. She believed her parents must be kidding with her. All she knew was she was the daughter of Brenda and Carl, and to think anything other than that was just not possible for her.
When Brenda and Carl failed in making her believe what the truth was, they showed Katheryn an album of press clippings. Over the years, Katheryn wore the pages from use. "I would never want to replace my adopted family, but being adopted, a part of you is missing and unless you've been adopted, you just don't understand that," said Katheryn.
After being aware of the truth, Katheryn decided to carry on with her life. She did not let this truth affect her life. She sincerely studied and graduated high school. She entered the medical field as an EMT ambulance driver.
Katheryn played her role in all the stages of her life efficiently. She was a good student, a good sportsperson and a successful ambulance driver. With this, two more responsibilities added to her list that was of a wife and a mother.
At the age of 27, the now-married adult with her child understood that being a mother is the best feeling in the world. She would always keep her newborn baby near her. She would hold the baby delicately and made that baby sleep on a comfortable mattress.
One day, while making her newborn sleep, she thought, how hard it must have been for her mother to leave her away like that. That night she could not sleep as the question revolved in her mind all night. She wanted answers for the same hence she thought of putting up this question on a platform.
Katheryn knew that she would be needing a platform so that the masses could hear her. No advertising company would do well other than Facebook. She opened her facebook profile and started typing her story that made her eyes moist.
She jotted down every single detail she was aware of. She even posted the pictures that she was shown by her parents to make her believe the truth. She hoped for a positive response from her parents.
Her uploaded photo was linked to a page titled Katheryn "Burger King Baby Deprill" which caught readers' attention online. Within 2 weeks her post was shared by 30,000 people. The chances to get a response increased.
The power of social media circulation paid off, and Katheryn got the message she'd waited 27 years for. Katheryn was all stunned by a message she received in her inbox. The message was a story sent by a woman named Cathy Pochek. She admitted that she was her biological mother and was the one who left her in the public bathroom.
The message that Katheryn received detailed how guilt-ridden Cathy was for abandoning her child. With this, another story unfolded that made Katheryn cry out loud. She never imagined her birth to be like that. This was the second shock of her life with which she could not deal.
Cathy accepted that she abandoned Katheryn but this act was done out of the sheer desperation of a traumatized child. Cathy revealed that she was 16 when she got pregnant. Katheryn was the result of a rape.
Her assault took place during a family vacation abroad. Cathy was ashamed of herself and decided not to tell anyone about what happened there. She could not handle reality when she came to know about her pregnancy.
Cathy informed that she was all alone in her bedroom when she gave birth to Katheryn. She felt extremely vulnerable when she thought of taking the responsibility of the infant. She was only 16 with no quality education or job. The only option she had was to abandon the child.
Already scared Cathy heavy heartedly decided to abandon her daughter. She kissed the forehead of her daughter and left the baby in a public space that was the bathroom in one of the Burger King outlets. That was the first and the last kiss that Katheryn received from her biological mother.
Katheryn could only sympathize with her mother. She thought it was easy to make a mistake on the heels of trauma. She also thought of how blessed she was that she was guarded by people who were angels by heart. She got her answer and decided to move on.
Following an initial meeting, on NBC's TODAY scheduled an initial meeting for the three ladies. Katheryn, Cathy, and Brenda were invited to share their stories. This meeting was not just a regular meeting but an opportunity to heal the past and forge a new relationship.
A series of co-incidents took place. Cathy's full name is Catherine Ann, and Brenda unknowingly named her daughter Katheryn Ann. Not only this, both women drive the same car, down to the color. Coming to the profession, Cathy too worked as an EMT.
The newly acquainted mother and daughter have the rest of their lives to unravel all the ways their stories were entwined. Katheryn, with two mothers, finally found her answers and on a happy note, they continued living together and share a good bond.