Bella Vistas reunited mother, son featured on NBCs Today show
Published: December 29, 2005
Tosha Blevins of Bella Vista and her 14-year-old son Stephen Kao were reunited earlier this month after more than a decade apart. Stephen’s dad took him 13 years ago and Blevins spent the next several years searching for him.
Divorcing when Stephen was a year old, his parents agreed to share joint custody of their son. The agreement, however, was never formalized by a court. In 1992 in San Antonio, Texas, Stephen and his dad vanished. Unable to locate him, Blevins had all but given up on seeing Stephen again.
Stephen went to live with his dad’s sister and her husband in Georgia four years ago after his father’s death. His uncle, David Henson, finally found Blevins in Bella Vista by using an Internet Web site. Blevins, her current husband, Jesse, and their four - year-old son welcomed Stephen to live with them in their Bella Vista home just a few weeks ago.
After the amazing story first ran in the Daily Record on Dec. 18, it was picked up around country. Stephen and his mom appeared on the NBC Today show Dec. 21 and were interviewed, along with the uncle who took Stephen in four years ago. “It was fabulous,” Blevins said of the New York City and Today Show appearance. “It was all so much fun from the plane trip there, the stay in the Essex House Hotel in New York City, being on television — all of it. We had quite an experience, that’s for sure.”
Blevins said NBC had a car and driver waiting at the airport in to take them to the hotel. Shocked at the cost of everything, Blevins said NBC allowed them more than $200 for meals. “It’s a good thing,” Blevins said with a chuckle, “because everything, even hot dogs, cost a fortune. Our hotel was gorgeous and we were on the 15 th floor.
” We had fun just looking at all the buildings from our hotel. New York City is an amazing place, just unbelievable. ”
Blevins laughed as she mentioned that she and her family had a tough time blending in with the city folks.
” Oh, my gosh, “Blevins said,” I know everyone thought we were such hicks. My husband had on a Western shirt and cowboy boots. We all looked out of place. ”
A car was sent for the family the morning of their Today Show appearance. Blevins said she and Stephen sat in the green room with her husband and youngest son before the interview with Katie Couric.
” They said Stephen looked just fine, “Blevins said.” They had told me to do my hair and make-up and they would just touch it up at the studio. That’s what happened. “When David (Henson), Stephen and I were talking to Katie, the lights were incredibly bright. And we could see ourselves on all the monitors and we could see the crowd standing outside.”
Blevins said she was too busy to return a call from CNN while they were in New York. She did talk to “Justice” magazine and was told a story about Stephen and her will be published in the February issue.
As wonderful as the whole experience was for them, Blevins, Stephen and the rest of the family were ready to get back to Arkansas. They flew back home the afternoon of their TV appearance. “It was time to get back to reality,” Blevins said. “All the hoopla was fun, but I was ready to get back home. We had Christmas shopping to do and we just needed to get back.”
It was a wonderful, simple Christmas this year at the Blevins home.
Having Stephen with them for the first time must have been the best feeling ever. Blevins will be working again at Harp’s Grocery as a cake decorator. She starts back to work today.
Stephen will soon begin classes at Lincoln Junior High School in Bentonville. Hopefully by then he will have received an autograph and promised gift from someone he met at the television studio in New York — Martha Stewart. “I’m glad we went and I’m so glad to be back home,” Blevins said. “As a family, we’re looking forward to a good, happy 2006.”
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