By Bill Schammert
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OMAHA, Neb. (KETV) — When Amy Beethe first met True, he was 4 years old in a hospital room at Children’s Nebraska.
“He was sitting there all alone,” she said. “It took me back that this 4-year-old was going to go through heart surgery, and nobody was there.”
True doesn’t remember much about that lonely hospital room. But Beethe remembers what the little boy did just before surgery.
She was his pediatric anesthesiologist.
“He faked me out,” she said. “I thought he was asleep, then I pulled down his mask, and he said, ‘Boo!'”
That’s True. He’s a young boy who pushes life to the limits despite his imperfect heart. He was born with hypoplastic right heart syndrome or HRHS.
“He has a severe form of congenital heart disease where essentially one side of his heart is underdeveloped,” said Dr. Jason Cole, a pediatric cardiologist and the medical director of Advanced Pediatric Heart Failure & Transplants at Children’s Nebraska. “He has one side of the heart to do two sides’ worth of work.”
True is one of the roughly 1-in-110 kids born with a CHD. That’s about 40,000 births per year, according to the American Heart Association.
“He’s a true inspiration to us all,” Cole said. “We get strength watching him go through his battles and seeing his successes as well.”
After meeting True, Amy couldn’t shake the sight of the little boy all alone.
“We don’t love True’s heart disease,” she said. “But we know it had a bigger purpose.”
After the heart surgery, Amy told her husband Ryan about True.
“We went up and met True in the hospital and immediately fell in love with him,” Ryan said. “It wasn’t long before we knew we needed him in our family.”
That surgery was in January 2021. By February, True was staying with the Beethes.
Now, True goes by True Beethe. Amy and Ryan adopted him.
“There are so many people who need the extra help,” Ryan said. “To fulfill their lives and the trickle effect it has — they make us better people. You can’t imagine your life without him.”
“He’s truly become my son,” Amy said. “I would battle for him like anybody else. When it comes to his health, I’m a mama bear, and I fight hard.”
True pushes life to the limits, but he also knows his limits. He loves to play sports like basketball and kickball. He’ll get short of breath, and he knows to slow down.
“I like to go to the courts and play with my siblings,” he said.
He’s gone from that lonely hospital room to the love of a large family. In fact, Amy and Ryan didn’t stop adopting after True.
They also adopted his biological sister.
“It’s been good because they’re nice and caring,” True said. “They’re my mom and dad.”
And True has four other biological siblings — two were adopted by another anesthesiologist at Children’s Nebraska, another by Amy’s sister, and another by Ryan’s brother — keeping the whole family close by.
“We found a home for everyone,” Amy said. “It’s like one big extended family.”
But True’s fight isn’t over.
“His strength and resiliency is something we all can learn from,” Cole said.
His multiple heart surgeries don’t equal a permanent fix.
“This isn’t a long-term solution for him,” Amy said. “We’re trying to buy him as much time until he’ll need a heart transplant.”
The Beethes know that day is coming, but they don’t know when.
Until then, they’re all embracing True’s attitude.
“Just keep going and don’t stop,” True said.
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