Teen Wakes Up Joyous in Hospital After Receiving a Heart Transplant

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Nearly 1.5 million people have experienced the power of organ donation through watching the video of a 15-year-old waking up after a heart transplant. Last November, Trevor Sullivan was admitted to the hospital to undergo surgery to replace his heart. The Michigan teen had been suffering from congestive heart failure, and without the surgery, he hadn’t much longer to live. A video taken by his father captured the precise moment when he woke up from anethstesia, and instead of being groggy, he was overjoyed to be alive. “I’m so happy. I’ve been waiting so long. I can breathe again!” Sullivan exclaimed.

It all started in February 2015, when Sullivan went to the doctor because of a lingering cold. After some tests, doctors discovered that Sullivan’s heart was misfiring. A normal heart rate for a 14-year-old is 85-100 beats per minute; Sullivan’s was 180-200. A GoFundMe page was set up to help pay for the transplant, and Sullivan was placed on the waiting list for a new heart. The family waited until November 13, when the call came that a heart was available. “It makes us feel really good that he was able to be saved because it was getting really scary,” his mother, Kimberly Sullivan, told ABC News. “He was going down the wrong path until we got the call.”

Evidenced by the video below, the extremely risky surgery went off without any major complications, and Sullivan is doing well. According to WDIV Local 4 News, “his body is adapting and doctors haven’t seen any signs of rejection at all.” Although Sullivan knows nothing about the person who donated his new heart, he’s extremely thankful that they chose to be a donor. “Even though we don’t really know them and all, I'm just really grateful that they were able to give that to me,” Sullivan told WDIV.

(H/T CNN)