The video of a toddler sharing his excitement about getting a new heart quickly went viral.
When the 6-year-old John-Henry he received the news that changed his life – that he was going to have a new hearthis excitement was evident. The young boy, who was a patient at Cleveland Clinic Children’s in Ohio, immediately began spreading the word to his friends, nurses and staff members. hospital. His joyous announcement was captured on an emotional video TikTok shared from the hospital on Tuesday, quickly winning everyone’s hearts.
“I will get a new heart!John-Henry exclaimed in the video, beaming as he greeted one of the hospital staff.
@clevelandclinic “I’m getting a new heart!”♥️ We won’t forget the day 6-year-old John-Henry Lee learned a donor heart was available for him. John-Henry had been waiting for a life-saving heart transplant for six months before he and his family received the news. The first thing he wanted to do after he found out was tell the caregivers who had been by his side throughout his hospital stay. John-Henry was born with a rare congenital heart condition called hypoplastic left heart syndrome or HLHS. It’s where one side of the heart doesn’t develop correctly. The heart’s left side is too small to pump enough blood to the rest of the body. John-Henry was 5 days old when he had his first open-heart surgery with us. He had three separate operations in total to treat his HLHS. Eventually, as John-Henry began experiencing heart failure, it became apparent a heart transplant was his only option. He was placed on the transplant waiting list in December 2023. In May 2024, John-Henry and his family received the news – a donor heart had become available. The very next day, he underwent his heart transplant procedure performed by pediatric and congenital heart surgeon Dr. Hani Najm, who had also performed all of John-Henry’s previous heart surgeries. John Henry was discharged to our Children’s Rehab Hospital in July, and recently celebrated being able to finally go home one month later. John-Henry continues his road to recovery, and says he looks forward to eventually telling everyone at school, “I have a new heart!” John-Henry’s mom Sarah says, “Organ donation saved my son’s life. 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.”
John-Henry’s infectious enthusiasm was a ray of light on a long and difficult journey. She was born with a rare heart defect known as hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS), a condition in which the left side of the heart does not develop properly during pregnancy. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), this results in the right side of the heart having to take on the job of pumping blood to both the lungs and the rest of the body, causing it to overwork.
Over the years, John-Henry has had to undergo multiple surgeries to treat his condition. However, as his heart began to show signs of failure, doctors at Cleveland Clinic Children’s decided that a heart transplant was his only chance for a healthy future. John-Henry was put on the transplant waiting list in December 2023 and after several months of waiting, his family received the long-awaited news in May 2024 – a compatible heart had been found.
