John was born in December of 2017 with Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome. This meant the left ventricle of his heart, responsible for pumping oxygenated blood to the body, did not develop. His initial treatment plan was to undergo a series of three open heart surgeries over his first few years of life, which would “re-plumb” the heart in order for the right side to manage everything on its own. After his first surgery, John developed a number of critical complications and was no longer a candidate to continue with the treatment course as planned. In November of 2018 he was listed for a heart transplant. Two weeks later his medical condition declined and he spent the rest of his “heart wait” in the cardiovascular intensive care unit, where he had already spent his first six months of life. John celebrated his first birthday in the hospital, and at almost 14 months of age, when his condition had turned very fragile and uncertain, we received the call that a heart had been matched and accepted for John. On February 20, 2019 John received his heart transplant from a heroic donor. He was discharged from the hospital two months later and, after another month close to the children’s hospital, he was finally able to come home to Yuma for the first time in his 17 months of life. John continues to require medications and vigilant monitoring and will for the rest of his life. John is now six years old and is generally a healthy, happy boy. He attends St. Francis School as a first grader who loves God, his family, and just about everything he gets to do day-to-day. He loves playing piano, collects church bulletins, and plays rough with his brothers. He never passes up a chance to get out of the house, even if it is to run a boring errand. He loves camping, the beach, and getting outdoors. He has overcome many developmental delays caused by his extended hospital time, and recently graduated from two of three therapies. He is stretching so rapidly his wardrobe can’t keep up, he loves food, hates watermelon, and says he wants to be a scientist when he grows up. We never take for granted his beautiful life and are grateful to all those who have prayed for him to be able to be here and enjoy it.