Stop using gossip as a bonding tool. It doesn't make others like us more; it makes them trust us less. Glennon Doyle
A FAMILY FOR TRUE
The doctor walked into a pre-operation room in January 2022 and was struck when she saw her patient: a small, underweight child in a hospital bed, covers pulled up to his chin.
The 4-year-old was scheduled for a heart catheterization. He did not have a parent or guardian with him. His eyes scanned the room, wide and full of fear.
That's when one of his
doctors, Dr. Amy Beethe fell in love with True, a child who was born with congenital heart disease, a complex defect that meant the left side of his heart was underdeveloped. A few months earlier, in the fall of 2021, he underwent open-heart surgery, then faced months of complications.
What concerned Beethe most about True’s situation, though, was not his medical records. It was his home life. True was in foster care, and his caseworker — who would normally accompany him to medical appointments — had covid-19, so True was at the hospital for a multi-hour surgery alone.
At home True had not been getting the medication or meals he needed, the caseworker told Beethe. And after his surgery months earlier, he rarely had visitors. As a result, he was sent to a rehab center to recover, and rehab staffers took him to the catheterization procedure, where he met Beethe.
The caseworker explained that it was a struggle to find a suitable home for True, given his specialized medical needs, and half-jokingly, asked Beethe: “Are you an option?”
