Jackson has been fighting for his heart since the day he was born.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jackson was born with Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome (HLHS), a severe congenital heart defect where the left side of the heart does not develop normally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At only 3 days old, Jackson underwent his first major heart surgery. During his early years, he completed the three major surgeries used to treat HLHS: the Norwood, Glenn, and Fontan procedures. Over the years, he has had two additional heart surgeries, including the surgery to place his Berlin Heart, along with six other surgeries and nine heart catheterizations. He also received his pacemaker during his original hospital stay when he was about 3 months old.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Even with everything he faced, Jackson grew up doing his best to live like any other kid. He went to school, spent time with family and friends, watched football, played video games, and learned to live with a heart that carried him through almost 15 years of life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the summer of 2026, things changed quickly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jackson became sick with walking pneumonia and initially seemed to be getting better. Instead, his energy and breathing continued to get worse. He became increasingly tired, had trouble eating, became short of breath with simple activity, and his oxygen levels started dropping. In August 2026, he was admitted to MUSC Shawn Jenkins Children’s Hospital in Charleston. His doctors determined that his Fontan circulation and heart were failing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What we thought might be another hospital stay became the beginning of his heart transplant journey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
During his transplant evaluation, Jackson’s condition became much worse. While undergoing a heart catheterization, he went into cardiac arrest. His medical team performed CPR and placed him on ECMO, a form of life support that temporarily did the work of his heart and lungs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jackson survived the arrest and slowly began showing us that he was still there. He followed commands, recognized us, squeezed our hands, and eventually woke up and started talking again. But his heart could no longer support his body on its own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
His surgeons moved him from ECMO to temporary mechanical heart support while his lungs recovered. He also began dealing with plastic bronchitis, which causes thick casts to form in the airways. At times, these casts have blocked parts of his lungs and caused his oxygen levels to fall until he is able to cough them out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After weeks of critical care, procedures, lung problems, setbacks, and small victories, Jackson was transitioned to a Berlin Heart ventricular assist device. The Berlin Heart is now doing the work his failing heart can no longer do while he waits for a donor heart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jackson remains hospitalized at MUSC until he receives his transplant and is well enough to come home. He is 14 years old and wants the same things most teenagers want: normal days, time with family and friends, football, video games, and the chance to get back to life outside the hospital.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Our home is about 228 miles, or roughly a four-hour drive, from MUSC. Our family has had to divide our time between Jackson and our other children and responsibilities at home. The distance has brought added costs for travel, lodging, meals, transportation, time away from work, and future transplant care.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We have partnered with the Children’s Organ Transplant Association (COTA) to help with transplant-related expenses. Contributions made to COTA in honor of Jackson can help with eligible transplant-related expenses throughout his journey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We have watched Jackson survive five heart surgeries, six additional surgeries, nine heart catheterizations, nearly 15 years of single-ventricle life, heart failure, cardiac arrest, ECMO, serious lung complications, and now life on a Berlin Heart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After everything he has fought through, we are waiting for the heart that will give him the chance to come home and move forward with his life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We are incredibly thankful for Jackson’s medical team and for everyone who has prayed for him, checked on him, rallied around our family, or contributed to COTA in his honor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Thank you for being part of Jackson’s Heart Journey.The Children\u2019s Organ Transplant Association (COTA) helps children and young adults who need a life-saving transplant by providing fundraising assistance and family support. COTA is the nation\u2019s only fundraising organization solely dedicated to raising life-saving dollars in honor of transplant-needy children and young adults. 100% of each contribution made to COTA in honor of our patients helps meet transplant-related expenses. COTA\u2019s services are free to our families, and gifts to COTA are tax deductible to the fullest extent of the law.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Jackson has been fighting for his heart since the day he was born. Jackson was born with Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome (HLHS), a severe congenital heart defect where the left side of the heart does not develop normally. At only 3 days old, Jackson underwent his first major heart surgery. During his early years, he […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":93,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-14","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n