DENVER, CO — Many young kids who spend time in hospitals have a loving family member by their side, to hold their hand and let them know that everything is going to be alright. Damien, 13, wasn’t lucky enough to have that support — he spent much of his life living alone in a Colorado hospital.
When his math teacher, Finn Lanning, found out about Damien’s struggle with kidney disease, he decided to take action.
“I am committed to not being another adult that lets Damien down in his life,” Lanning said.
The teacher has taken Damien into his home while the boy awaits a kidney transplant. Lanning said the 13-year-old wasn’t eligible for a transplant because he was homeless. Recipients who don’t have stable housing are considered high risk for their new organ to fail.
Damien has been in foster care since he was a young child. At one point, a relative took him in, but returned him to county custody.
“Although he has significant health challenges, he is an excellent student and a kind, generous, and motivated human being,” Lanning said.
The teacher has taken time off work to care for Damien’s special medical and dietary needs. Lanning has applied for foster care certification so he can legally become Damien’s guardian, but that process takes six to eight months, and he said the initial expense of taking care of the boy has “been considerable.”
A GoFundMe page has been set up to help Lanning take care of the 13-year-old, and so far it has been a remarkable success.
“The outpouring of support from so many people who I know (and many that I do not know) has been unexpected,” Lanning posted in an update on the GoFundMe page. “Navigating the many frustrations and joys of this process has been both better and worse than I expected, but it makes a huge difference for me to know that I have help from so many other people as Damien and I start on this journey.”
Lanning said the fundraising has allowed him to focus less on the financial strain of the process and “more on the parts that are more important.”
Damien has been relisted on the kidney transplant list, and a matching kidney from a deceased donor was found. After the boy spent 12 hours preparing for surgery, the donor kidney was discovered to be damaged.
Lanning and Damien remain hopeful that another match will be available soon.
GoFundMe is a Patch partner.
Click Here: Geelong Cats Guernsey