Lt. Brian Zach met a very special person when he performed a welfare check four years ago in Kingman, Arizona.
The area is known for being the “heart” of Route 66, and many police calls are for theft, drugs, or domestic violence. However, Zach was being called upon to assist in a case of child abuse, CNN reported October 1.
Little did he know a two-year-old girl named Kaila was waiting for him.
“My heart felt for this little girl who was covered in bruises. She just had a very strong spirit,” Zach told the outlet. “She had a skull fracture, brain bleed and a dislocated elbow.”
The incident was not the only time he had witnessed a child in need of help while he was working.
“I had a 13-month-old die. That was hard. It is something that is emotionally scarring that I relive every time I talk about it,” he recalled, adding, “Look, Kaila could be that little girl but God had a different plan.”
It was the third time the child’s abuse had been reported to authorities.
Bodycam footage showed the moment the two met:
The officer made friends with Kaila as the two waited for social workers, and his effort to show her kindness was remembered when officials began trying to find her a foster family.
“The question that changed our life forever was, ‘Would you actually consider being a placement home?’ And we immediately said, ‘Yes.'” Zach commented.
Although Kaila was only supposed to stay with Zach, his wife, and their two children for a short time, he thought a lot about where Kaila would end up and it worried him.
The family began making memories with the little girl that included visits to Disneyland and Hawaii, and the couple eventually became her adoptive parents.
To those who might be considering fostering or adopting, Zach testified it is one of the greatest decisions his family ever made.
“Just do it. The process isn’t as harsh or overburdened as we thought,” he stated.