Latest news with #AvaCooper
The Independent
a day ago
- Health
- The Independent
Moment 11-year-old girl learns she's finally getting a transplant
An 11-year-old girl, Ava Cooper, received life-changing news that a donor heart was available for transplant after waiting almost a year. Footage shared by Cleveland Clinic in Ohio shows the heart-warming moment Ava was told the news while on a call with her father. Ava, who has battled heart defects since she was a week old, had spent nearly 300 days at the hospital awaiting the transplant. A later clip shows Ava leaving the hospital to cheers from staff, marking the successful outcome of her long wait. Watch the video in full above.
The Independent
a day ago
- Health
- The Independent
Moment 11-year-old girl learns she's getting a new heart after almost a year of waiting
This is the heart-warming moment that an 11-year-old girl is told that she is getting a new heart after almost a year of waiting. Footage shared by Cleveland Clinic in Ohio on Tuesday (19 August) shows Ava Cooper receiving the life-changing news that a donor heart had become available for a transplant whilst on a call with her father. 'Daddy, I'm getting a heart,' she gleefully exclaimed, after a doctor whispered the good news in her ear. Her father was speechless, repeatedly saying 'Oh my goodness' to his daughter, who had spent nearly 300 days at the hospital whilst she waited for a transplant. A later clip shows Ava, who has battled heart defects since she was just a week old, walking out of the hospital as staff cheered her on.
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Health
- Daily Mail
Tear-jerking moment 11-year-old calls her father with news she's getting a donor heart after 300 days on waitlist
A young girl from Ohio wasted no time calling her father just seconds after learning she would be receiving a new heart. Ava Cooper, 11, has battled multiple serious heart defects since she was just six days old - including a hole in her heart, a heart positioned on the opposite side of her chest, reversed pumping chambers, and a missing or blocked pulmonary valve, according to the Cleveland Clinic. Despite undergoing multiple open-heart surgeries by the age of five, Ava's health began to rapidly decline in the summer of 2024 - prompting doctors to conclude that a heart transplant was her best chance for survival. After spending nearly 300 days at Cleveland Clinic Children's Hospital, the moment Ava and her family had been waiting for finally arrived - a donor heart had become available. Ava was sitting on her hospital bed, unaware that the life-changing news she was about to receive - and her emotional reaction - was about to be lovingly captured on video. In the clip, Ava appears to be on a video chat with her father when a nurse approaches her bedside, smiling brightly as she leans in to whisper something in her ear. Immediately, Ava's hands flew to her mouth in disbelief, her eyes widening as she quickly scanned the room, searching for confirmation of what she was hearing. 'Daddy,' she said into her iPad, her voice trembling with excitement. 'I'm getting a heart.' Her father, clearly as stunned as Ava, responded, 'What?!' 'I'm getting a heart!' she exclaimed, beaming from ear to ear as someone else in the room let out tears of joy. 'I was so excited and couldn't believe it was actually happening,' Ava told the Cleveland Clinic after hearing the news. Dr. Madeleine Townsend, part of Ava's care team, said she wanted to let Ava be the one to share the news herself. 'I whispered it to Ava because I really wanted her to be the one to tell her parents,' she said. 'Getting to see Ava's smile that day is one of the best parts of my job.' Sean Cooper, Ava's father, shared in the excitement during the call, his voice breaking with emotion as tears welled up upon hearing that his daughter would have a new lease on life. 'The hospital had become our second home, so hearing Ava say those words, "I'm getting a heart," was overwhelming,' Sean told Cleveland Clinic. 'After everything she'd been through, we were finally one step closer to coming home for good.' Ava's health journey began almost from the moment she was born, undergoing her first heart surgery just days after entering the world. 'After she was born, Ava had to be immediately flown to another hospital,' Jamie Cooper, her mother, told the outlet. 'I didn't even get the chance to spend time with her,' she added. Although a total of four open-heart surgeries seemed to stabilize her condition by the time she was five, Ava only remained symptom-free until the summer of last year. 'Ava started getting sick. I was noticing her waking up with facial swelling, not able to lay flat all the way, having a hard time breathing,' Jamie said. 'Her doctors at the time determined she was in heart failure.' It was at this point that Ava was transferred to Cleveland Clinic Children's, where a specialized team - including two pediatric heart function and transplant cardiologists - took over her care. They quickly determined that a heart transplant was the best option, concluding that further surgeries would no longer improve her long-term quality of life. In September 2024, at just 10 years old, Ava was officially placed on the heart transplant waiting list. While in the hospital, her health had its ups and downs - she needed oxygen to breathe, a feeding tube for nutrition, and a Berlin Heart device to help her heart pump blood. 'We had Sunday dinners, threw a birthday party for Ava's sister in her hospital room and even brought up presents to open on Christmas morning. We were still trying to find ways to create memories together,' Jamie recalled. One of Ava's most treasured memories came in February 2025, when hospital staff transformed her room into a special father-daughter dance venue, knowing she would miss the one she usually attends at that time of year. 'It's now one of the best memories I have with Ava, and I'm incredibly grateful to everyone who came together to make it possible,' Sean said. Less than a month after what Ava called her 'magical and cool' father-daughter dance, the hospital received a heart that would soon be hers. On March 6, Ava underwent the transplant surgery and emerged with a brand-new heart. She spent the next month in the hospital recovering. Her doctor explained that because she had been in heart failure for almost a year, her body needed time to heal. 'I was so excited to be back in my own bedroom and be able to see my dog Rocky again,' Ava told Cleveland Clinic. By April 10, Ava was finally able to go home for the first time in months. 'Even though I missed my whole fourth-grade class, I'm excited I'm able to see my friends, go on field trips and do art projects again,' Ava said.
