Sometimes, the most life-changing moments happen when you least expect them. For one doctor, what began as a routine shift at the hospital turned into a heartwarming story about compassion and family.
Back in 2022, a 4-year-old foster child named True was dropped off at Children’s Nebraska, a hospital in Omaha, for heart surgery.
He was transferred from a rehab hospital and was unaccompanied by an adult. His caseworker was sick with COVID, so he had to face the surgery alone. It was unclear why no one else from social services was able to be with him.
True was struggling with complications from a previous open-heart surgery for his congenital heart disease, known as hypoplastic right heart syndrome. This condition causes the lung to be undeveloped and limits blood flow to the lungs.
According to Dr. Jason Cole, a pediatric cardiologist and medical director of the Advanced Pediatric Heart Failure and Transplant Program at Children’s Nebraska, True’s heart would eventually fail and require a heart transplant. He needs a stable home environment to help maintain his health.
A pediatric anesthesiologist at Omaha’s Children’s Nebraska, named Amy Beethe, was shocked to find True waiting all by himself in pre-operative care.
“He was sitting there all alone, and it just kind of took me aback that this four-year-old was going to be undergoing heart surgery, and just no one was there,” said Amy Beethe.
The procedure lasted about seven hours. Amy spent time getting to know True throughout his stay at the hospital. They formed a connection that would ultimately change both of their lives.
True stayed with Amy and her husband, Ryan, a month after the surgery. Soon enough, they decided to officially adopt him. The couple had experience opening their home to children in need. They had previously fostered and adopted three children.
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Now, their family consists of eight kids. Three are biological children, and the others are adopted. They also adopted True’s older sister, Laney.
True has four other biological siblings who were adopted by extended family and friends of the Beethes.
Amy helped coordinate the adoptions so that each of the children would remain connected. She got her sister and her husband to adopt TyLynn, one of True’s sisters.
Her sister-in-law and her husband adopted another sister named Tyra. Finally, a coworker and her husband adopted Tacari and Malia.
Thanks to those efforts, True was recently able to celebrate his 10th birthday surrounded by family and friends. It just goes to show how one unexpected moment in a hospital changed the lives of several kids, creating an entire network of love, support, and second chances.
This is definitely the kind of story the internet has been needing to hear about.
By Emily Chan
Emily Chan is a writer who covers lifestyle and news content. She graduated from Michigan State University with a degree in... More about Emily Chan
