See the Joyful Moment a 6-Year-Old on Transplant List Tells Hospital Staff: 'I'm Getting a New Heart!'

Mar. 15, 2025

A 6-year-old boy couldn’t wait to tell everyone about his new donor heart after being on the transplant list for six months, and he is beaming with pride in a touching new video.

John-Henry Lee, from Ohio, was born with a rare heart condition calledhypoplastic left heart syndrome.

Hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) is a rare congenital defect in which a part of the infant’s heart is underdeveloped, making it difficult for the left side of the heart to pump enough blood to the rest of the body. About one out of every 3,841 babies born in the U.S. each year is diagnosed with hypoplastic left heart syndrome, according to theCenters for Disease Control and Prevention.

At just 5 days old, he underwent open-heart surgery at Cleveland Clinic Children’s Hospital.

In the next few years, he underwent three additional procedures but they were unsuccessful, and he started going into heart failure. A heart transplant became his only option and he joined the transplant list in December 2023.

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John-Henry Lee.Cleveland Clinic

Cleveland Clinic

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In May, John-Henry received the exciting news that a donor heart was finally available for him.

“I’m getting a new heart!” he shouted with a big smile, alongside his mother Sarah Lee and little brother Marcus.

Staff members congratulated the 6-year-old with hugs and high fives. The following day, John-Henry underwent the heart transplant and was later discharged in July to recover at Cleveland Clinic Children’s Hospital for Rehabilitation.

After undergoing the life-saving procedure, he told the hospital that he can’t wait to tell everyone at school, “I have a new heart!”

“Organ donation saved my son’s life,” Sarah told the hospital. “Without it, he wouldn’t be living right now. We’re going to take great care of this special heart, and we’re forever grateful to our donor and their family.”

source: people.com