Any good mother will tell you that they will do anything to keep their children safe and healthy. Kristi Goll is one of those moms.
Kristi’s son Jackson Arenson, 8, had visited the doctor for a routine kidney checkup. However, his lab work showed that his kidney function was still decreasing. She was crushed. For this reason, the mom wrote a desperate plea on her Facebook page, but never anticipated a police officer would come knocking on her door because of it…
Kristi asked that her friends and Facebook followers be tested to see if they met the O+ blood type required from a living donor. Jackson’s doctors said he’d have a better time being matched to a living donor than a deceased donor.
The worried mom’s Facebook post was shared more than 1,500 times.
Kristi’s plea happened to make it’s way to Milton, Wisc., on police officer Lindsey Bittorf’s news feed. Officer Lindsey decided she had to help even though she had never met the little boy.
“Maybe this is just weird and odd but as soon as I saw her post, I just knew. It’s me.”
Officer Lindsey was one of more than 50 people who felt compelled to step forward to have their blood tested at the UW Health Transplant Program. When she was notified that she was indeed a match, she decided to surprise Jackson and his mom. She also had a special plaque made for him that read:
“Jackson, I took an oath to serve and protect my community. My kidney will now be able to serve and protect you! I am your kidney donor.”
Kristi was floored. She couldn’t believe that a total stranger volunteered to donate her kidney to her son.
“After months of searching for a kidney donor for Jackson, I can say, ‘the search is over!!’ I can’t even put into words how amazing of a gift we are receiving from this amazing person. She surprised us after work today and I still feel in shock. Jackson is so excited and says, ‘I think my new kidney will make me run faster!’ Today, you became our hero.”
The transplant is scheduled for late June, and Bittorf said she’s thrilled to be able to give Jackson’s mom peace of mind.
“It’s the best feeling being able to give a parent the ‘OK’ that your kid is going to be healthy. You don’t have to worry anymore about your son.”
God Bless Officer Lindsey! Prayers go out to both the officer and Jackson as they prepare for surgery and we wish you a speedy recovery.
