Doctor Adopts Boy Who Arrived Alone, Then Finds Homes for His Five Siblings

A young boy arrived alone for major surgery at a Nebraska hospital. His situation moved an anesthesiologist to take extraordinary action. Dr. Elizabeth "Liz" Hale was working at the Boys Town National Research Hospital. A 10-year-old patient, Michael, came by himself for a serious ear operation. His mother could not be there. Dr. Hale learned Michael lived in a crowded foster home. He was one of six siblings all separated in different homes. She comforted him through the procedure. The doctor and her husband, Brian, decided to become Michael's foster parents. They later officially adopted him. But Dr. Hale did not stop there. She worked for two years to find a single foster home that could take all five of Michael's siblings together. She succeeded. The Hale family now includes Michael and maintains close contact with his brothers and sisters. Dr. Hale says her family grew in the process, calling it "beautiful chaos."