Elisabeth Haerttrich was born at 9:20 a.m. on Jan. 6 at the Cariboo Memorial Hospital (CMH)in Williams Lake. Her parents live in 100 Mile House making the seven pounds, 11-ounce baby the first new 100 Miler in 2020.
She is the third child of parents Claudia and Robert Haerttrich who live in the Ranchettes.
“We had one born in 100 Mile in 2016 and the other one was born in Vancouver. It would have been nice if she was born in 100 Mile House,” said Robert.
Claudia said they barely made it to the hospital in Williams Lake, calling the travel a trek due to the distance and the weather. Her husband said he was thankful and amazed that road crews had the road clear after all the snow.
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“I was able to drive the speed limit anyway. All the way to the end of Lac la Hache it was really good. If there was an accident on the highway we would have probably had the delivery on the Highway.”
They also gave plaudits to the nurses and doctors at the CMH, calling them nice. They were even lucky the doctor was there because Elisabeth wasn’t due until Jan. 18. The first child born in Williams Lake arrived just the day before, so the doctor was still there for the morning visit.
Elisabeth’s namesake comes from the Biblical figure of the same name. The name means “My God is an oath.”
“It’s out of the Bible and Elisabeth is the mother of John [the Baptist], that’s why,” said Claudia.
Elisabeth’s siblings, Ava (three) and Joseph (two) are also named after Biblical figures. Religion, Robert and Claudia agreed, is a big part of the Haerttrich family.
They also hope that Elisabeth will be able to get a German passport, as they are both from Germany.
“She is Canadian by birth and then, since we are Germans, she can be a dual citizen,” said Claudia.
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