On a cold February night in 1965, a mysterious figure quietly entered Grace Hospital in Richmond, Virginia, carrying a tiny infant. The baby, diagnosed with congenital glaucoma, was at risk of going blind without immediate surgery. The woman who brought the child to the hospital identified herself as Mary Carson, and she named the baby Kim, claiming the child was just two and a half months old. Nurse supervisor Billy Updike, who received the child, was struck by Mary’s calm demeanor, especially when she mentioned she had to leave to care for two older children at home.

Mary promised to return the next day for her baby’s operation, but she never did.

When Billy returned to work the following day, she was shocked to learn that Mary had not come back. Without her presence, the doctors were unable to perform the life-saving surgery. Desperate, hospital administrator Douglas Pace attempted to find Mary, but when he visited the address she had given, he found only a vacant lot.

Realizing they had a baby on their hands without a parent, Douglas Pace convinced a judge to issue a court order allowing the doctors to proceed with the surgery. The operation was a success, but Kim’s eyesight would never be normal.

The story of baby Kim quickly garnered attention. An article in the February 11, 1965 edition of the Richmond Times generated an outpouring of sympathy, donations, and adoption inquiries.

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