Indiana boy, 4, received life-saving liver transplant, starts Hot Wheels toy drive to honor his donor
Beckett Culp, 4, received a transplant in June 2022 thanks to his donor, Hunter Tuzinski, 7
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A four-year-old boy who received a life-saving liver transplant last year is getting the chance to honor his donor through a Hot Wheels toy drive.
Beckett Culp, of Noblesville, Indiana, was diagnosed with alpha-1 antitrypsin (AAT) deficiency, a rare genetic disorder that occurs when the body doesn’t make enough AAT protein to protect the liver and lungs from infection, according to Lauren and Klark Culp, the boy's parents.
"Beckett was actually diagnosed when he was six months old," mom Lauren Culp told Fox News Digital in a phone interview.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"We just managed it. He didn't do any meds or anything," she continued. "He just had checkups with his doctor about every three to six months and they did lab work to make sure all of his liver numbers looked good."
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By February 2022, Beckett’s liver numbers "started changing."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}He developed a stomach infection that led to cirrhosis of his liver and his eventual need for a liver transplant, his mom said.
Beckett Culp (at left) with mom Lauren Culp and Klark Culp. Young Beckett was diagnosed with a liver disorder when he was just six months old. (Riley Children's Health)
Beckett’s name was added to the organ transplant waiting list in late April — and his name remained on the list for 52 days.
Hunter Tuzinski of Valparaiso, Indiana, was the donor who provided Beckett with the life-saving liver.
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Young Hunter was just seven years old at the time of his death on June 6, 2022, his mother, Nakita Tuzinski, told Fox News Digital over the phone.
His official cause of death is currently unknown since hospital paperwork from the out-of-state facility he was airlifted to – Comer Children’s Hospital in Chicago – after being found unconscious in the family’s home bathroom has yet to be released to county officials, according to Tuzinski.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Hunter had a single seizure at age three, but Tuzinski said it’s not clear if he had one again or if something else happened, since she’s still waiting to hear back from the coroner’s office.
Tuzinski, 33, said she chose to donate her son Hunter’s organs because she knew him to be a helper.
"He thought about everyone else besides himself," Tuzinski recalled. "Two children received organs from him. Hunter loved kids. He loved to make kids laugh. It was just an easy decision knowing what kind of person he was."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Hunter Tuzinski of Valparaiso, Indiana, died on June 6, 2022. His mother, Nakita Tuzinski, chose to donate his organs to help save others. (Courtesy Nakita Tuzinski)
Tuzinski confirmed that Hunter’s liver went to Beckett, who was age three at the time — and that she knows his heart went to a four-year-old, his left kidney went to a 52-year-old woman and his right kidney went to a 47-year-old man.
After Tuzinski received a thank you message from Lauren Culp on Thanksgiving, she connected with the Culp family.
Tuzinski said getting to know Beckett and his family has been part of the "healing process" for her family.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"The ultimate goal for us is to bring awareness to Hunter and what his family gave to us, which is the gift of life for Beckett."
"The holidays were so hard for us," Tuzinski said.
"It was important to us to know that that’s how we helped — and that Hunter was a superhero who save four lives at just seven years old."
"I felt like he would want me to interact [with the families he helped] and make this a big deal because it is a big deal," she said.
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Lauren Culp, 32, who works at a preschool, and Klark Culp, 34, an Air Force service member, started a Hot Wheels toy drive to honor the donor who save their son's life.
Beckett Culp (left) is a fan of Hot Wheels — as was Hunter Tuzinski (right). The model toy cars are made by Mattel. (The Culp Family / Nakita Tuzinski)
Previously, the couple held a Hot Wheels toy drive in September for Beckett’s fourth birthday.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"The ultimate goal for us is to really just bring awareness to Hunter and what his family gave to us, which is the gift of life for Beckett," Lauren Culp said. "We chose to do a Hot Wheels-specific toy drive because that is something that Beckett and Hunter had in common."
Beckett has since recovered from his transplant surgery in June — and has been enjoying his time in preschool.
Hunter’s love of cars is a trait he shared with his late father, Alex, Tuzinski told Fox News Digital.
He would play with Hot Wheels and create racetracks with household items, she said.
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The Culp family is planning to donate the Hot Wheels collection to the Riley Hospital for Children at Indiana University Health and the Comer Children's Hospital at UChicago Medicine, the two hospitals where Beckett and Hunter were treated, respectively, near the end of January.
Hunter Tuzinski, a seven-year-old organ donor from Valparaiso, Indiana, helped save the lives of four people. (Courtesy Nakita Tuzinski)
The Culps estimate that they’ve collected over 1,000 Hot Wheels products, including toy cars, tracks, blankets, pajamas, slippers and remote-control cars.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"We're actually talking about having to get a trailer to take everything because, I don't know, with everything that's coming in, we're having at like 20-30 packages delivered a day at this point," Lauren Culp told Fox News Digital. "So, we might have to get a trailer to deliver everything."
Hunter’s birthday is on Thursday, Jan. 26.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Culp family said they will drop off the first half of the toys at the Riley Hospital for Children on Friday, Jan. 27, where they’ll also meet Hunter’s mother face-to-face for the first time.
Beckett has since recovered from his transplant surgery in June — and has been enjoying his time in preschool.
Lauren Culp said Beckett helps with the Hot Wheels toy drive and remembers all the joy he felt when he got to pick a new toy from the Riley Cheer Guild, a nonprofit volunteer organization at Riley Children’s Hospital, during his time as a patient.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Riley Cheer Guild disperses donated toys throughout the hospital.
"A nurse would come in and ask, ‘All right, Beckett, do you need anything else?’ And he would say, ‘How about a car?’" Lauren Culp recalled. "Every time he left, he came home with so many Hot Wheels."
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"It is truly a special experience when a Riley patient and their family want to give back and bring joy to other children [who are] staying in the hospital," Ann Hannan, director of the Riley Cheer Guild at Riley Children’s Health, told Fox News Digital via email.
"Each donated toy or item directly impacts the life of a child and we know the generous donation from the Culp family as well as Beckett’s donor hero family will provide comfort, cheer and a positive experience for patients and caregivers staying at Riley Hospital for Children," Hannan continued.
Nakita Tuzinski, mother of Hunter, said her young son liked to help people. (Courtesy Nakita Tuzinski)
The Culp family has created a "Beckett’s Birthday Toy Drive for Riley Children’s Hospital" wish list on Amazon and a "Lauren's Hot Wheels Registry" on Target.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The lists show which Hot Wheels products have not yet been fulfilled.
Both hospitals have requested that all donated Hot Wheels toys be new and in original packaging. Donors who shop through the Amazon or Target wish lists will be able to have their orders shipped directly to the Culps.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Fox News Digital reached out to Comer Children's Hospital for comment.
The Culp and Tuzinski families both say they are thankful to everyone who's donated Hot Wheels to Beckett and Hunter's toy drives.