Anesthesiologist Adopts Patient
- Mar 16
- 1 min read
A Nebraska boy named True, who was born with a severe congenital heart defect, arrived alone to a children’s hospital in Omaha in 2022 for a major heart procedure. At the time, the five-year-old was in foster care and his caseworker had COVID, leaving True to brave the hospital without a guardian. Pediatric anesthesiologist Dr. Amy Beethe was deeply moved when she found him sitting alone before his seven-hour surgery. After learning about True’s difficult circumstances, Amy and her husband Ryan, who were already experienced foster parents, decided to foster him shortly after the procedure. 18 months later, True’s adoption was finalized, officially making him part of the Beethe family. When the Beethes learned that True had five siblings who also needed stable homes, they worked with relatives and friends to ensure every sibling was adopted so they could remain connected. Now surrounded by a loving family, True and his siblings are thriving, and doctors say the stable home life has even made it possible for True to be considered for a future heart transplant— a life-changing surgery that they once thought was impossible for him.
Image via CBS
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