Teacher Adopts Student Battling Kidney Disease
Finn Lanning, a middle school math teacher was shaken when one of his students told him he would not be returning to school anymore.
Once he sat down and had a conversation with Damien, the student, he found out his heavy life story.
He discovered that Damien was in foster care since he was unable to find a family able and willing to meet his medical needs. At just thirteen-years-old he was suffering from kidney disease and desperately needed a transplant. Unfortunately, it can be very hard for someone to receive a transplant if they do not have a stable home to recover from surgery. This forced Damien to leave school and move into the hospital.
“It hit me like a ton of bricks. I mean, you just can’t sit across from somebody you care about and hear them say something like that and know that you have room to help,” Lanning told CBS News.
He decided to become Damien’s foster parent creating a safe and secure home while helping him with all of his medical needs.
Fast forward two years later, Damien was able to get the transplant and is living a healthier life at 15-years-old. Lanning has now officially adopted his former student. Damien says, “it’s like a dream come true.”
