Woman abandoned as baby visits hospital bathroom where she was left and later found by nurse
WEST BRIGHTON, Staten Island (WABC) -- A woman who was abandoned as a newborn at a Staten Island hospital returned to visit the bathroom where she was found and reunited with the nurse who found her.
Baby Vicky was discovered in February 2004 at Richmond University Medical Center when she was only four or five days old.
She was found by nurse named Claudia Beadle who works as a cardiac technician.
"I opened the stall she was in between the toilet tank and underneath," Beadle said.
On Tuesday, Vicky returned to the site where Claudia found her. It's now an electrical closet.
"Walking in here was emotional and a little overwhelming, but it was nice to see the place where I was left and to know Claudia was so great and took such good care of me," Vicky said.
Claudia scooped her up and brought her to the pediatrics department. She visited the baby on her breaks and days off to feed her and care for her before Vicky was eventually adopted by a couple named Angela and Dennis.
The couple had one biological son and another named Frank they adopted in 2002. He had also been abandoned and left on the steps of a Staten Island day care.
"They didn't know they were abandoned until a couple of months ago because we don't use the word abandoned in our vocabulary," Angela said.
But recently, Frank and Vicky started the process of learning their family histories and more about their back stories.
They each took a DNA test and then Vicky got a surprising message.
"I got the match that my brother had popped up as my full sibling, my biological brother, it was crazy and not expected at all," Vicky said.
The message said that she and Frank were actually biological siblings.
"We were both found a year and a half apart and wind up in the same family, the odds are crazy," Frank said.
On Tuesday the woman who found Frank joined the woman who found Vicky as a special reunion of those who helped create the family.
Vicky said knowing the truth feels a bit heavy -- but in a good way.
"Even though this story is about me and my sister, I want to showcase everyone around me that created such a great life for me and my sister," Frank said.
Vicky and Frank are now working together to establish a scholarship fund. Those interested in making a contribution can visit the Richmond University Medical Center Foundation page and use the donate button to make a gift indicating the tribute name as Victoria and Frank.
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