Parents of 11-year-old heart transplant recipient thank donor family for gift of life

The family of 11-year-old heart transplant recipient Ava Cooper is thankful for her second chance at life after a lengthy wait on the transplant list ended in a miracle moment that has since gone viral.

“Daddy, I’m getting a heart!” Ava Cooper shouted in the clip.

“Are you serious? Oh, my goodness,” her father, Sean Cooper, responded.

Ava Cooper received her transplant in March and is looking ahead to a return to school, her family shared with Fox News on Friday — closing a grueling chapter that included over 200 days in the hospital.

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“I just get to live a normal life now and do the things I want to do,” Ava Cooper said on “Fox & Friends,” smiling along with her parents and younger sister.

Her father, Sean Cooper, added that the family’s gratitude extends to the family of the donor who made that future possible. 

“We wouldn’t be in the position where we’re at if it wasn’t for the generosity of the donor family,” he said.

“We’re blessed and words will never be enough to say the thank-yous that they deserve for the gift that they gave us.”

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Ava Cooper’s medical battle began almost immediately after birth. At just 6 days old, she underwent her first heart surgery. 

According to the Cleveland Clinic, which treated her, she was born with several complex heart defects, including a hole in her heart, chambers reversed in position, a misplaced heart on the opposite side of her chest, and a missing or blocked pulmonary valve.

Doctors performed a handful of operations throughout her childhood, but by September 2024, her only option was a transplant.

“It was emotional, obviously, for so many reasons…” Jamie Cooper said of learning her daughter would finally receive a heart.

“It was just emotional. I think dad and I were both just overjoyed, relieved, scared… it was amazing, probably one of our best days.”

Ava Cooper has had more energy since her surgery and said she can “go places” she couldn’t visit before.