Liberator in Action: Dr. Amy Beethe

We may not recognize liberators at first sight. They don’t wear capes or carry signs announcing who they are. Most of the time, they look like anyone else. It’s only in a moment, when something calls for more than routine, that you see it.

That’s what happened in Omaha when Dr. Amy Beethe walked into pre-operative care and saw a five-year-old boy sitting alone, about to face a seven-hour heart procedure. His name was True. He didn’t know why he had been dropped off there, so Dr. Amy assured him that she would be there with him.

Although she already had six children, when the surgery was over, she made a decision. "After I dropped True off in recovery, I called my husband, and I just said, ‘We need to have a talk when we get home. I need you to have an open mind.’”

Upon further investigation, Dr. Amy found that True and his five siblings were in the care of social services, so she and her husband adopted True and then went about rebuilding their family. One by one, working with relatives and trusted friends, they made sure his siblings were blended into their extended family, each receiving their own safe, loving home too.

That’s what a liberator looks like.