An ICU nurse went beyond the call of duty to save the life of a little boy this summer in Wisconsin.
When James and Ruth Auten’s son, Brayden, came home from school in April feeling sick, his parents took him to the Milwaukee Children’s Hospital and doctors discovered an aggressive unknown virus was attacking his liver.
One week later, the little boy was fighting for his life and medical staff informed his parents their son would need a partial liver transplant.
The shocking news caught both parents by surprise. “It was the Sunday after we got there, they finally looked at us, they’re like we’re bypassing everything, he’s going on the list tonight,” Brayden’s father told reporters.
“We didn’t think it was going to get that far,” his mother commented.
When James posted about the urgent need for a match on Facebook, the hospital called to inform him that they had found one; an ICU nurse at Froedtert Hospital in Wauwatosa named Cami Loritz.
In another Facebook post following the surgery that saved his child’s life, the father thanked Loritz for giving up so much to help his son.
“Brayden got to meet his miracle today!!! Thank you Cami Loritz for coming to visit him!! And thank you again for saving his life and giving up so much time and enduring pain just to give us our little boy. Your are truly and angel! #DONATELIFE,” the post read.
Reports said Brayden returned home in July after recovering from his surgery and is ready to get back to school.
“What she did was completely selfless and she saved his life, plain and simple,” James said.
“We can’t thank her enough. She’s a true miracle,” Brayden’s mom added.“We consider her one of us, one of our family.”
In a Facebook post of her own, Loritz wrote about how exciting it was to see Brayden doing so well and urged social media users to educate the public on the importance of living organ donation.
The post read:
Now that we are almost 4 months post-transplant it’s heartwarming seeing Brayden enjoy being a kid again, no argument he’s stinkin’ cute! I am beyond thankful his family gets the chance to have their little boy back and healthy. With that said, both the Auten’s and I don’t want this happy ending to end here. So hear me out!
Help us spread our story to raise awareness beyond Wisconsin, beyond the Midwest. PLEASE, PLEASE read and SHARE this post and our story. Talk about living organ donation, ask questions, PRAY about it, research it, ask your doctor, ask me, consider it for yourself, encourage each other, advocate for those on the waiting list!
‘Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interest of others.’ Philippians 2:3-4
A friend of the Auten family has set up a GoFundMe page to help them cover their medical expenses. So far, the page has raised $12,510 of their $15,000 goal.
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