Thanks to a successful organ donation, 15-year-old Trevor Sullivan has been given a fresh start.
TODAY.com reports that the young boy awoke from surgery to find his family waiting by his side.
His dad, Philip, managed to record the amazing moment on camera. When he shared it with Facebook organ donation group called “Gift of Life Michigan,” it was viewed more than 1.2 million times.
Seeing the young boys face flooding with relief and brimming with gratitude is enough to make anyone tear up.
“I’m so happy. I’ve been waiting so long…” the 15-year-old’s raspy, gentle voice trails. “I can breathe again and can talk.”
When his dad asks him how he is feeling he says, “amazing, just amazing.”
Philip told TODAY.com that since being released from the hospital, his eldest son is doing really well and is currently recovering at home with his three younger siblings.
Back in September 2014 was when he started showing slight symptoms. His parents brushed it off as a mere allergy attack but then he got sick again four months later.
He reportedly gained weight and was experiencing severe pain so his parents took him to the hospital, thinking it was probably just appendicitis.
They were stunned to hear from a group of cardiologists that his heart was failing.
Trevor was suffering from cardiomyopathy, a condition which results in an enlarged heart, making it difficult for the heart to pump and circulate blood throughout the body. Eventually, they found that it was taking up too much room in his chest cavity.
“When your heart is that heavy and it takes up that much room in your chest cavity, it weighs down your lungs,” Phillip told TODAY.com “It was hard for him to breathe and push the blood through his body. He was in severe pain at that point.”
About two months later, he was put on the list for a heart transplant. Then, eight months later, he found out he had a donor. The only thing the law allowed to be disclosed about the donor was that he/she was younger person with a good heart.
A heart for helping others
While he gets accustomed to his new heart, Trevor also has to take medication to manage his diabetes; he is reportedly managing it well.
His father describes him as a “typical 15-year old kid” who’s active and fun-loving. “He’s just really grateful for the new chance at life, to be honest,” says his dad simply.
After the the clip received over a million views, Phillip realized a new passion to raise awareness about organ donation.
“We wanted to post it and say, ‘Look. This is a great thing you can do.’ We want to show how important it is to be an organ donor,” he said. “We wanted to raise awareness, but I never thought it was going to go this wide stream. Trevor’s kind of blown away, too. I think we all are, almost to the point of being overwhelmed.”
Trevor is set to return to school in March 2016.
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