I thought it was a big deal when I had my tonsils out at age 12

Tommy (Age 10)

Multiple Heart Transplants

Tommy’s parents had no idea there was anything wrong with their beautiful baby boy. Soon doctors realized he only had half a heart—a condition known as hypoplastic left heart syndrome—that had gone undiagnosed during pregnancy.

After his first heart transplant at just four months old, Tommy lived an active life. When he was 9 years old, after a lifetime of skiing black diamonds, he was told there were major problems with his heart. He went straight to the intensive care unit at Primary Children’s Medical Center and was so sick that he wasn’t allowed to go home. A few weeks later he was transferred to his own room at the hospital to wait for another heart.

Since he couldn’t go home, his family brought his home to the hospital. Soon there were posters, rugs and coyote pelts covering every inch of his room. Tommy’s brothers did their homework with him after school and the family ate dinner every night together at the hospital.

Tommy, 10, received his second heart on April 19, 2009 and since then he’s been enjoying sports, animals and being outdoors, but he still feels at home when he visits Primary Children’s Medical Center
.