A little boy in Nebraska went into the hospital for an important, life-saving medical procedure and came out with a whole new family. In January 2022, a then-4-year-old True arrived at the Children’s Hospital in Nebraska for a scheduled heart surgery. But as his anesthesiologist, Amy Beethe, would soon discover, no one was there waiting to be by his side after he came out of the hours-long operation.
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“He was sitting there all alone,” Beethe told KETV. “It took me back that this 4-year-old was going to go through heart surgery, and no one was there.”
Beethe, a pediatric cardiac anesthesiologist at Children’s Nebraska, told The Washington Post that she isn’t used to seeing kids alone in pre-op and could tell that True was scared and didn’t know anyone.
True, who was born with congenital heart disease, arrived for surgery alone because the social worker who usually attends doctor’s appointments with him was sick with COVID-19. Beethe learned from the social worker that True is one of six siblings – his oldest brother lives with his biological father, while the other five siblings live with their grandmother. The social worker added that True’s medical condition has made it more difficult for him to find a home. That’s when Beethe realized she needed to take action.
Amy Beethe, who has three biological children with her husband, Ryan, became a foster parent in 2017. Beethe, who says she’s seen so much abuse and neglect in the hospital, knew she needed to do something. They added True to their family in 2022. They’ve done their best to help True stay connected with his siblings. They even adopted one of his sisters and helped others find homes with friends and colleagues.
Amy Beethe says her children think the additions of True and his sister to their family are “awesome,” and True says he’s very happy to be part of a loving family.
“It’s been good because they’re nice and caring,” True told KETV.“They’re my mom and dad.”
“I never thought I would have this big of a family, but I’m very happy I did,” Amy Beethe said. “Everyone goes to bat for each other. It’s a loving house.”
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