Our journey with Bennett began with a surprise. At 23 weeks pregnant, we learned our baby boy had a severe congenital heart defect. It was terrifying news, but we were surrounded by a great medical team and endless love. Bennett was born in early January 2011, and to our relief, he came into the world without complications. An echocardiogram soon confirmed the diagnosis, a partial atrioventricular septal defect. He was missing the wall between his upper heart chambers and didn’t have a properly formed mitral valve.
Doctors told us he’d likely need surgery within his first year. We hoped he could wait, but by May he began to show signs of congestive heart failure. On June 3, just shy of five months old, Bennett had his first open-heart surgery. The surgeon used his own pericardium, the lining around the heart, to repair the hole, and did his best to create a working valve. He told us another surgery would probably come in 10 to 15 years.
Bennett healed quickly and grew up strong. He ran, played, and lived like any other kid. His cardiologist encouraged us not to hold him back, so he played basketball, baseball, and football with unstoppable energy. Around age six, he started daily heart medication, but nothing could slow him down. Each check-up was a reminder that another surgery loomed ahead, but watching him thrive made it hard to imagine.
Then came 2020, the year of COVID and unexpected challenges. Not only were we worried about Bennett’s heart and the virus, but my brother-in-law, Kelly, was diagnosed with kidney failure and needed a transplant. After testing within our family, I volunteered to donate through a paired exchange program. Even though I wasn’t a match for Kelly, my kidney could go to someone else while Kelly received one from another donor.
After months of testing, I was approved to donate on January 4, 2021. But before I could schedule surgery, Bennett’s cardiologist told us it was time, he needed his second open heart operation. My stomach dropped. I wanted to help Kelly, but my son came first. We managed to plan Bennett’s surgery for June 14 so he could finish his baseball season. To avoid overlapping recoveries, I joined an “advanced donor” program, meaning I could donate first and Kelly would get a voucher for a future kidney.
Amazingly, just two days after joining, I got the call: a match had been found in Minnesota. On March 31, 2021, I became a living kidney donor. The surgery went smoothly, and I was walking the same day. Family and friends brought meals, my kids pampered me, and recovery was quick. I even met my kidney recipient six weeks later, a humbling moment I’ll never forget.
By June, I was fully healed and ready for Bennett’s surgery. Watching him play baseball that summer was bittersweet, how could a boy so full of life need another major heart operation? His doctor warned us he might need a valve replacement, which would end his days of contact sports. It broke my heart, but we knew it was necessary.
His surgery was set for mid-June but was pushed back a day to make room for an emergency case. On July 13, Bennett played his last baseball tournament before surgery and his team won. They gave him a care basket and a huge “You’ve got this” sign to take to the hospital. It meant everything.
On surgery day, I walked him into the operating room, held his hand, and watched him drift off to sleep. Hours later, our surgeon came out smiling, he’d been able to completely repair Bennett’s mitral valve without a replacement. No prosthetics, no restrictions, and best of all, he might not need another surgery for 20 to 30 years.
Bennett recovered like a champ. He was out of bed on day one, walking laps on day two, and climbing stairs on day three. By Friday, he was discharged, just three days after open-heart surgery. For the first time in his life, his heart murmur was gone. I must have listened to his chest a hundred times in disbelief.
Within weeks, Bennett was back outside, shooting hoops and walking daily. His determination was unmatched, he even completed 10,000 basketball shots that summer. At his post-op checkup, he was cleared for football, baseball, and everything else he loved.
Looking at him now, you’d never know what he’s been through except for the scar across his chest. He’s strong, happy, and full of life. Our family is beyond grateful, for our surgeons, for the gift of health, and for the chance to keep watching Bennett grow.
And just two months after Bennett’s recovery, my brother-in-law received his own miracle, a kidney from a stranger on August 25, 2021. After everything our family endured that year, “grateful” doesn’t even begin to cover it.
