A Wisconsin police officer is doing more than just protecting and serving her local community. She’s helping to save a life.
Jackson Arneson, 8, is in desperate need of a kidney transplant. He was born with a condition called Posterior Urethral Valves in which the urethra valves are blocked, according to Yahoo News.
Kristi Goll always knew this moment would come, but after receiving some not-so-great news from her son’s doctor, she knew he needed the right donor more than ever.
So, Goll turned to the power of social media and made a public plea on Facebook to try to find a perfect match for the boy.
“At this appointment, his labs showed that his kidney function is still decreasing and the doctors are in talks of activating him on the deceased donor list for a kidney transplant,” Goll posted. “The doctors still explained the very best situation would be finding a living donor for Jackson. I always knew these days would come, it’s just so hard when they are here. I have reached out before, I am just trying again to see if we can find anyone out there that would be interested in being tested. Social media has the ability to go a long ways, and Jackson’s transplant social worker reassured me of this.”
That’s when Officer Lindsey Bittorf, of the Milton Police Department, saw Goll’s post and immediately knew she wanted to try to help the boy she didn’t even know. The officer surprised Jackson and his family with the good news at their Janesville, Wisconsin, home.
“We went to the door and this police officer walks in,” Goll told WISN. “I ripped [a gift] open and I saw the word ‘kidney’ and I didn’t even read the rest of it. I just saw ‘kidney’ and I looked over, and I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, it’s you!'”
Brittorf and Jackson both share type O+ blood and passed a number of health tests, making her the perfect match. The family is forever grateful the two found each other.
“I’m pretty set in my ways, so if I set my mind to something, there’s really not talking me out of doing this, I was doing it,” Bittorf said.
Bittorf told the boy: “I took an oath to serve and protect our community and now my kidney is going to serve and protect you.”
The transplant surgery is scheduled for June 22.
