Amazing teachers around the world are frequently making headlines. Educators who have helped a student with their hair, who stayed overnight to put together Easter baskets for each of their students, and even ones who have saved the life of a student’s dad – these folks are real, believe it or not. It’s heartwarming that many teachers are willing to go the extra mile to do incredible things for their students without desiring extra pay, an award, or even recognition for their actions.
A math and science teacher from AXL Academy in Aurora, Colorado is another educator worthy of being appreciated. 37-year-old teacher Finn Lanning, who is unmarried and has no children of his own, recently adopted his 12-year-old student, Damien. What drove Mr. Lanning to take the preteen under his wing was when he learned that he was going to be taken out of his foster home and moved into the hospital due to his focal segmental glomerulosclerosis diagnosis, which contributed to kidney failure.
“He told me he had to leave the foster home he was living in and was moving into the hospital because they didn’t have another place for him,” Lanning recalls when talking to PEOPLE. “I remember kind of sitting there with him and not really knowing what to say.”
Once Damien began displaying symptoms of his condition at the age of 8, his mother lost parental rights when she was deemed unfit to provide for her son’s serious medical needs. Since then, he has been apart of the foster care system. He’s also all too familiar with residing in hospital settings for months at a time. And, to make matters worse, Damien was taken off the kidney transplant list since he never had a stable home environment.
“He was getting passed around to different people who offered different levels of care with long periods in-between of literally living alone in a hospital because there was no place else for him to go,” Lanning said. “He’d have a nurse who took care of his health and that was his life. I’m surprised he managed as well as he did.”
When the 12-year-old was forced to leave school and was placed in the hospital, Mr. Lanning would make frequent hospital visits. As Winter Break rolled around, the teacher began to foster Damien.
Although Mr. Lanning felt strongly compelled to foster the tween, he was surprised at the medical care he required once he was taught how to administer his daily, 12-hour dialysis, let alone, schedule all of his doctor appointments.
“It’s a lot scarier and riskier than I thought,” the new father admits. “I’d really thought a lot about this decision. I didn’t want to be another person in a long line who’d made a commitment to him and then couldn’t keep it. I wanted him to trust me and feel comfortable.”
But now Mr. Lanning is currently in the process of officially adopting Damien. The young boy couldn’t be happier.
“I’m grateful that Finn has helped me have a place to live, make friends and enjoy my life,” Damien said. “You kind of lose hope after a while when you’re living in the hospital, but now, I can settle in, go to school, make friends and live a good life. It changed my perspective on the world. Now, I can do anything.”
Lanning, too, is glad he made the decision to bring Damien into his life.
“It’s the simple things we enjoy doing together. I never thought I would end up being a father. I feel very lucky,” the educator said.
From watching movies together, to chilling at the arcade and cooking together, the father-son pair are the perfect match!
Although Damien is now in a great home environment, he still requires medical treatment. If you’re interested in helping donate to his kidney fund, please refer to this GoFundMe page.
