- Teddy Gomez, 8, and Aidyn Isley, 4, received heart transplants due to different heart conditions that were fatal.
- The two boys left Riley Hospital for Children on back-to-back days amid celebrations.
- One of the parents hopes that their story would inspire others on the heart transplant list to keep on hoping as their hearts will also come.
Teddy Gomez, 8, and Aidyn Isley, 4, left the Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis with their families, celebrating for receiving new and healthy hearts.
Aidyn was born with dilated cardiomyopathy (one side of the heart grows faster than the other) while Teddy had a rare form of degenerative heart muscle disease that makes his heart stop suddenly. Both were in danger of losing their lives if their conditions were left untreated or from cardiac arrests.
Before having treatment and transplant, Aidyn’s heart was only functioning at 15% while Teddy had a near-death experience. It was really a cause for celebration for both families and the hospital staff as they both were discharged on back-to-back days.
Amid the celebration, the children, their families, and hospital staff all had mixed emotions when the kids finally went home.
Teddy was excited to “play with my cats and not have to eat bland food all day.”
Teddy’s mom, Amie Hastings, said “Almost 11 months and it just feels unbelievable because we’ve been here for so long. “I feel like they’re losing their baby [and] I feel like I have to share him with everybody!”
Photo Credit: RILEY CHILDREN’S HEALTH FACEBOOK
Nurse Elise Strohl said that after nearly a year at the hospital, Teddy had grown so much.
She said, “It’s just really crazy to see how far he’s come since he first got here. He definitely has opened up and I’ve seen him grow as a little human so much since he first came.”
Meanwhile, Cassie Isley, Aidyn’s mom said, “It’s so exciting, overwhelming. It’s bittersweet, we’re gonna miss everyone around here.”
Photo Credit: RILEY CHILDREN’S HEALTH FACEBOOK
Nurse Strohl for the hospital staff’s part said, “We have a really hard job, especially on our floor, we see a lot of really, really sick kids,” heart center nurse Elise Strohl said in the clip. “Getting to see these kids go home is the most rewarding part of our job.”
Strohl added, “I’m so happy to watch [Teddy] go home, but we’re all gonna miss him a lot because he really became part of our family in our unit, for sure, and I feel like that with most of our transplant kiddos.”
For parents and children who are waiting for a heart transplant, Teddy’s mom, Amie Hastings has this to say, “It might be just around the corner, you never know. We all waited so long and then it was like, boom, boom, boom.”
Source: PEOPLE