For Halloween, a 2-year-old boy from Kentucky decided to dress up as his doctor to pay homage to the man who saved his life.
At 5 months, Jonah Bump has been having severe lung infections because of a rare immune deficiency disorder. He had a severe combined immunodeficiency disease which meant he didn't have an immune system at all.
Then at just 7 months old, Jonah underwent a stem cell transplantation performed by Dr. William Tse at Norton Children's Cancer Institute in Louisville, Kentucky. Since he didn't have a functioning immune system then, they isolated him in a room, ABC News noted. It was Dr. Tse and hospital staff who were the only people allowed to enter his room.
He is like an extended family
His mother, Laurie, said that the doctors and nurses became like an extended family to them. Particularly, she pointed out Dr. Tse who did things for them just out of kindness, which is why they have a soft spot for him.
Recently, Laurie bought Jonah a doctor kit and during playtime, everyone in the family would be his pretend patient. That gave her the idea to have her toddler dress up as someone who is special to Jonah and the family. She thought that it was a good fit to "combine the two."
Mini Dr. Tse
So, they dressed him up with a white coat complete with Tse's signature blue Oxford shirt that he wears underneath his coat. To make Jonah look exactly like his favorite doctor, they replicated Tse's hospital name tag to read "Tse, MD Jr."
Once the look was complete, Laurie took a photo of Jonah in his Dr. Tse costume and sent it to one of Tse's transplant nurses. She requested the nurse to relay it to Dr. Tse which made the pediatrician feel honored.
Tse said that Jonah looked like a "mini-me" and that he was touched by the gesture. He was so surprised, he said, because he didn't expect the child would do it, especially with the effort they put in to make the costume look like him down to the last detail. He noted the blue button-down shirt and even the name tag which he said is "100% me."
To make an impact on a sick child's life is a privelege
Dr. Tse started working at the hospital in Louisville only two and a half years ago. Jonah was one of his very first patients. Dr. Tse said that even after the surgery was over, he still saw to it that he visits the boy every six months just to check how well he has been doing.
He said that he was amazed to see him thrive which makes him feel happy and proud. He was grateful he said that through the help of Jonah's family, he was able to help the child become healthy.
Dr. Tse considers being a pediatrician as a privilege to be given the chance to make an impact on a sick child's life.
