4-year-old walks into the hospital alone for a heart surgery, leaves with a new mom — the doctor
Coming from a complex home, adoptive families kept pushing the child away due to his issues.
In January 2022, True, a four-year-old boy, arrived at a pediatric hospital in Omaha, alone. Born with a congenital heart disease, he'd gone through an open heart surgery as a baby. However, his body couldn't adapt well post-surgery, as True struggled with severe complications for months. Looking at his deteriorating condition, doctors advised a heart catheterization at Children's Nebraska, where he met Amy Beethe, a pediatric anesthesiologist, who ended up adopting him, The Washington Post reported on February 26.
True, the little boy was born with a complex defect — the left side of his heart was underdeveloped. However, Amy, the doctor, was more worried about his home life than his medical records. She'd never seen such a young child walk into a hospital alone, so curious, she decided to dig for his real story. Amy learned that True was living in a foster home and was desperately looking for a place he could call home. He had six siblings; five of them were placed with their grandma, and one was living with his biological father because of family issues.
At home, True hadn't been getting the care he needed. In fact, after his surgery, he rarely had any visitors, True's caseworker explained; as a result, he was sent to a rehab center where he met Amy for the first time. True's caseworker, who should have accompanied him to the hospital, couldn't because she had COVID-19. So, True had to go to the hospital alone. Due to his health issues, the foster care system was unable to find a good adoptive family for him, but that changed because of Amy and her husband, Ryan Beethe. After having three biological kids, they became foster parents in 2017, and over the years, they fostered and adopted three more children. So when Amy heard True's story, she felt ready to take him in.
The Beethes brought True home in February 2022, after which they felt compelled to help his other siblings as well. "I started talking to the caseworker, and I said, 'I don’t think anybody is in a good spot in that home,'" Amy confessed. Soon enough, the Beethes decided to take in Laney, True's elder sister, according to KETV News. Moreover, they checked in with friends and family to see if others could help the remaining four kids find a safe, happy home. As expected, Amy's sister and her husband took in one child, whereas Ryan's brother and his wife took in another. Amy's colleague at the hospital also stepped in to help the remaining two kids, and that's how all six children got adopted on the same day. While Amy and Ryan had never imagined having such a big family with eight kids, they don't regret their decision at all.
Meanwhile, True, now nine years old, who is recovering well and might need a heart transplant in the future, confessed he loves having a big family. Every year, millions of kids enter foster care across the world for various reasons. For instance, in 2024, neglect was the top reason (55%) that children were removed from their homes. Next, parental drug abuse (31%) and physical abuse (13%) were marked as the most common reasons for kids entering foster care systems, according to a report by AFCARS (The Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System). True was also in a similar condition, but that changed when Amy, his doctor, saw him shivering alone on the hospital bed with no one beside him to comfort him. The Beethes' said they hope their story will inspire others to consider taking in a foster child. "They are like a little flower bud that just blossoms. If more people would do it, it would change the world," Amy said.
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