AVON LAKE, Ohio — John-Henry Lee is a boy who knows exactly what he wants.
"I'm going to get my bike!" he exclaimed as we filmed in his backyard a few weeks ago.
At just 6 years old, his natural enthusiasm inspires everyone around to join the fun. He never wastes a moment exploring every path, because he knows how quickly it can change shape.
"Bumpy road!" John-Henry said as he rode his electric car.
"When I was pregnant with John-Henry, we knew that he had hypoplastic left heart," his mom, Sarah Lee, said. "We knew he would need open heart surgeries at a very young age."
After his third surgery, there were complications.
"He started to have some circulation issues," Sarah said.
Then in December 2023 things got worse.
"We were sick for like a month, you know, typical runny nose, cough," Sarah said.
A doctor shared difficult news.
"He goes, 'Well, we're keeping him.' I said, 'Oh, you're keeping him?' Thinking just overnight. He goes, 'No, until he gets a new heart,'" Sarah said.
John-Henry was admitted to Cleveland Clinic Children's. His mom says, she remembers the tough questions he asked her.
"He would ask if another kid got a heart transplant. 'Am I not sick enough?' 'Am am I not good enough to get a heart?'" Sarah said.
With each passing month, John-Henry got sicker.
"He's getting weaker, you know? His endurance is dwindling away," Sarah described.
Then, six months after settling in at the hospital, they received the best news of their lives.
"They're like, 'We found his heart.' And I instantly broke down in the middle of the hallway," Sarah said.
"I went in the room when we told him, and it's amazing because you get just as excited as they do about it because this is what they've been waiting for," said pediatric nurse, Laura Bartok. "I think at first he was a little like, 'Wait, what's happening here?' And then it was like, 'Oh my gosh, this is it. This is my new heart and I've got to tell everybody.'"
And tell people, he did.
One by one, John-Henry told the beloved health care heroes who had been rooting for him all along.
"I'm getting a new heart!" He exclaimed in the hallway of Cleveland Clinic Children's.
"He is the best kid. He's literally John-Henry Strong!" said Le' Kisha Walker, of environmental services.
John-Henry's surgery went well. However there were a few bumps in the road.
"They would give us updates every hour, tell us everything's done," Sarah said. "He had some rejection that we had to overcome."
But remember, John-Henry knows what he wants, and what he wanted was to be a healthy little boy again.
"Because I get to run and play," he told us.
Since he's been home, he's been making up for lost time, getting to know his brothers again after such a long hospital stay.
"Oh, I'm so proud of John-Henry. He is a joy. He is energetic, he is hilarious," Sarah said.
He's also grateful for each new path he gets to explore, for every laugh, for every deep breath. And for his mom? There are no words to say thank you to all those who helped give John-Henry a second chance.
"They become your friends. When you're there for so long, they're your sisters. The nurses become your sisters. The doctors become your brothers," Sarah said. "I'm just so grateful that his donor family made the sacrifice and allowed them for John-Henry to continue his life through their child's life."
Have a story idea for Heartstrings? Email to: Heartstrings@wkyc.com.