12-year-old battling total kidney failure named Suffolk County sheriff for a day
A Long Island boy battling complete kidney failure became Suffolk County's top cop Tuesday.
Wyatt Houppert, 12, is set to have surgery in less than a week. Doctors say it will save his life.
Tuesday, he was the honorary Suffolk County Sheriff for the day. It's only the second time in the last eight years that the Suffolk County Sheriff's Department has done so. It comes with certain perks, like trying out any vehicle in the fleet, and "arresting" CBS News New York's John Dias.
Houppert was born with only one kidney, and it recently began to fail. That means he needed dialysis four times a week to survive, until he could get a transplant.
"It was already hard enough with the one kidney. Then now, since February, it was like getting hit by a Mack truck all of a sudden," his mother, Devan, said.
The community rallied together and started up a GoFundMe for financial support.
"An angel on earth"
The boy's true hero, however, was family friend Dawn Rice, who is a perfect match for a kidney transplant.
"An angel on earth. She acts like it's no big deal and we are just like, are you kidding? This is amazing," Devan said.
Rice said she's paying it forward. Two of her relatives needed transplants.
"I know how important it is, to give a person another second chance at life," Rice said. "You don't need both kidneys. Share your spare."
Rice is the wife and sister of two correction officers with the sheriff's office. When word made its way to the department, they wanted to help Wyatt, too.
"There is an additional support system that he knows that is available, to him and his family," Sheriff Errol Toulon Jr. said.
It's all meant to help Wyatt go from fearful to cheerful as he endures his next medical chapter.
"All this positivity and love from everyone means a lot," Devan said. "We are very happy that he is able to have a second chance."
Wyatt's transplant is set for Monday.
