A 6-year-old boy told everyone he saw that he would be receiving a heart transplant.
@ClevelandClinic TikTok
A 6-year-old boy who waited years for a heart transplant couldn’t wait to share his good news with hospital workers, Ohio video shows.
“I’m getting a new heart!” John-Henry Lee exclaimed across the Cleveland Clinic to the hospital workers who have cared for him since he was a baby, the hospital shared in an Aug. 27 TikTok video.
Cleveland Clinic said John-Henry was born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome, a rare congenital heart condition that causes only one side of the heart to develop correctly. He had his first open-heart surgery at Cleveland Clinic when he was 5 days old.
He had three additional operations since then, and the hospital said “it became apparent” in 2023 he needed a transplant.
John-Henry was placed on the transplant waiting list in December, and in May, he and his family learned a donor heart had become available.
The video shows the boy sharing his excitement with his caretakers after learning the good news. The clinic called it a day it wouldn’t forget.
“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.”
Dr. Hani Najm performed a successful surgery the next day, and John-Henry went home a month later, the hospital said.
“Organ donation saved my son’s life,” John-Henry’s mom, Sarah, said in a statement to the clinic. “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.”
Mike Stunson covers real-time news for McClatchy. He is a 2011 Western Kentucky University graduate who has previously worked at the Paducah Sun and Madisonville Messenger as a sports reporter and the Lexington Herald-Leader as a breaking news reporter.
