Hardest part is the not knowing

She came into the world on April 30, 1987, at Kootenai Memorial Hospital, an unremarkable arrival that 12 hours later would begin a mystery that remains unsolved today.

"Baby Girl Beach," is the name Andrea Klug-Napier had entered on hospital records when her birth mother walked out of the hospital and out of her life. The mother had given her name as Amy Dee Beach when she checked into the hospital in the late stages of labor, also mentioning she was from San Diego, that this was not her first child and that she was considering the possibility of putting the soon-to-be-born infant up for adoption. No one saw her leave 12 hours later. No one has seen her since, including the now beautiful 28-year-old Colorado woman, Andrea Klug-Napier, who is her daughter.

I visited with Andrea over the weekend after seeing a post on Facebook she'd made about searching for her mother. One thing that was evident immediately is that Andrea has enjoyed a wonderful life. She was adopted six weeks after her birth by a couple from Pocatello who had been waiting for a child for two years.

"I've had an amazing life. My adopted parents are literally the two most loving, caring people on this planet," Andrea said. "My father passed away three years ago; that's what sort of sparked my fire to start looking. I have known my whole life I was adopted. They have been telling me the story from day one."

I mentioned to Andrea that anyone who's not been adopted, such as myself, could not possibly fathom what it would be like, the not knowing. Her reply: "They really can't. I have never wanted to know as bad as I do now that I'm 28. I have had no medical history to go with. It's so hard because just not knowing my birth parents means not knowing so many other things."

Andrea was most wistful about the possibility of having siblings somewhere out there in the world after having been raised an only child. I must admit I choked up when she said, "all I really want is to just look like someone, someone who's related by blood."

Ralph Kennedy was the local Health and Welfare social worker assigned to the case when Andrea went into foster care as an infant. In 2001, when she was 15, he arranged a visit from Andrea and her parents to Kootenai Memorial to meet some of the hospital staff who were there when she was born. She received paperwork, with her birth mother's name redacted but that included a fingerprint of "Amy Dee Beach." Today that is the only clue Andrea holds to the mystery of who her birth mother might be.

The Coeur d'Alene Police closed the case when Andrea was adopted in 1987 but the case will never be closed for her. Andrea bears no ill will toward her birth mother and says she's grateful that her mother obviously took care during the pregnancy to deliver a healthy baby and that she cared enough to make sure the baby arrived at a hospital surrounded by people who would care for her after birth. She's grateful for the blessing of her adoptive parents and the life she's had and the love she's known.

But somewhere there's a woman in her early 60s who likely resembles the beautiful dark-haired young woman who is her daughter. There's a grateful adoptive mother who's secure enough in her daughter's love to encourage the search. I'm hoping for a happy ending or at the very least some resolution for Andrea.

• If you have any leads, email to mainstreet@cdapress.com and I'll forward them to Andrea.

A very special National POW/MIA Day of Remembrance event will be held Friday at Christ the King Lutheran Church in Coeur d'Alene. The spaghetti dinner is at 5:30 p.m. and the ceremony to follow will feature local veteran and former Vietnam POW Fred McMurray. Proceeds from the $12 tickets will benefit Newby-Ginnings and Northwest Honor Flight. Call 777-9684 or 773-8982.

It's 99 days until Christmas, aka September - in my opinion several weeks too early to be faced with Christmas decor on store shelves.

Happy birthday today to Jeff Thompson, Courtney Hurt, James Hoialman, Charollett Morehouse and Terrie Lynn Gonzales. The same tomorrow to Steve Widmyer, Harmony Conley, Connie Evans, Russ Giles, Mary Riffe (50!) and Lynda Wright.

Friday is a big day for Brad Peugh, Jaimee Myers, John Holm, Eric Benjamin, Debra Smart and Jennifer Schroeder.

Rich Kempton, Kara Fredekind, Debbie Sala, Jeanne Wright, Brock Morrow, Marshall Baltzell and Karen Lindbergh are putting on their party hats on Saturday.

Sunday's celebrants are Julie Chadderdon, John Stevens, Craig Brosenne, Haley Walker and George Balling. On Monday, Stacy Hudson, Katherine Ekhoff, Dina Hourland and Margaret White are the birthday girls. Tuesday birthday shout-outs to Jerry Lyon, Amy Reagan, Vic Slater, Scott Livingston and George Beebe.

Kerri Rankin Thoreson is a member of the National Society of Newspaper Columnists and the former publisher of the Post Falls Tribune. Main Street appears every Wednesday in The Press and Kerri can be contacted on Facebook or via email mainstreet@cdapress.com. Follow her on Twitter @kerrithoreson.