Forty-eight-year-old Nicole Alles, a foster mom, got a phone call in December of 2014 that changed her life. She was told about a sick baby boy named Sebastian in need of a loving home. The child had a medical condition that caused his birth parents to be unable to give him the proper care he needed. At only 7-weeks-old, Sebastian had already been through tremendous suffering after being born with two collapsed lungs and a variety of other medical ailments, according to Today .
In addition to the collapsed lungs, the baby also had a non-functioning bladder and left kidney. Meanwhile, his right kidney was already beginning to fail. As soon as she heard Sebastian’s story, Nicole said her heart broke for the child and she knew that she and her husband would take him in. “The first thing they said was they couldn’t find a home for him and, of course, that broke our hearts so we decided to take him,” she said.
When foster mom Nicole Alles learned about a sick baby boy who needed a family, she knew she would give the newborn a home. But she would never have guessed she would end up giving him a kidney, and saving his life. https://t.co/ueTwZcQ95N
— surgicalcaps (@surgicalcaps) December 16, 2018
Nicole and her husband Justin had been foster parents for years but had faced a number of hardships in their quest for adoption. Knowing they were risking possible disappointment, they were determined to do all they could to give it another try with Sebastian. However, Nicole had no idea how much sacrifice her decision would entail.
Under the care of Nicole and her husband, the baby survived almost 30 surgeries and came out on the other side. Now at 4-years-old, he provides them with overwhelming joy despite his many hardships. “He’s such a ray of sunshine,” Nicole said.
“It’s hard to imagine some of the things he’s gone through. You look at him and he looks like a normal child, but then you lift up his shirt and you see so many scars from all of his surgeries.”
The family faced a new obstacle in 2016 when they discovered that Sebastian’s remaining kidney was beginning to fail. Desperate to do whatever she could to help her son, Nicole decided to have herself tested to see if she was a possible match. Although told the chances were slim, doctors at Indiana University Health were shocked to find that she was indeed a perfect match for the little boy. After a successful transplant surgery, young Sebastian is now thriving and living life as a normal 4-year-old. Nicole says she is overwhelmed with gratitude in watching her son’s incredible progress. “God had a plan,” she said.
