Girl’s Hope Renewed After Heart Transplant, Following Over 200 Days In Hospital

“Daddy, I’m getting a heart,” exclaimed Ava Cooper on a video call with her father after the doctor whispered the good news in her ear. It’s the moment the 11 year old and her family had been waiting more than 200 days in the hospital for.

“I was so excited and couldn’t believe it was actually happening,” says Ava, whose Cleveland Clinic Children’s hospital room was filled with decorations and cards she had gotten throughout her stay.

Ava’s dad Sean Cooper says, “The hospital had become our second home, so hearing Ava say those words, ‘I’m getting a heart,’ was overwhelming. After everything she’d been through, we were finally one step closer to coming home for good.”

Ava’s health journey started at 6 days old, when she underwent her first heart surgery. The loving girl, who has a passion for art, was born with multiple heart defects, including a ventricular septal defect (hole in heart), dextrocardia (heart on opposite side of chest), L-transposition of the great arteries (two pumping chambers of the heart are switched) and pulmonary atresia (pulmonary valve missing or blocked).

“After she was born, Ava had to be immediately flown to another hospital. I didn’t even get a chance to spend time with her,” says Ava’s mom Jamie Cooper.

Ava underwent a total of four open-heart surgeries by the time she turned 5 years old. Following these procedures, she went nearly five years without any symptoms. That’s until the summer of 2024.

“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. Her doctors at the time determined she was in heart failure,” says Jamie.

Ava was then transferred to Cleveland Clinic Children’s, where her care team included pediatric heart function and transplant cardiologist Gerard Boyle, MD, as well as pediatric heart function and transplant cardiologist Madeleine Townsend, MD.

“We did a complete workup to try and see if there was anything else we could do to save her heart. We realized doing more surgeries on her current heart was not going to make her better for the long term, and our goal is to give her the best long-term quality of life. Getting Ava a heart transplant was her best option,” says Dr. Townsend.

In September 2024, Ava was ultimately put on the transplant waiting list for a new heart. During this time, Ava experienced ups and downs with her health – eventually needing oxygen to help her breathe, a feeding tube to give her nutrients and a Berlin Heart to support her heart in pumping blood throughout her body. Amid all this, Ava’s family worked hard to maintain a sense of normalcy for the then 10 year old.

“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,” says Jamie.

One of Ava’s most cherished memories came in February 2025, when she got to dance with her father in a hospital room turned dance hall. After a child life specialist learned Ava typically attends a father-daughter dance that time of year, she suggested recreating the experience in the hospital. Caregivers decorated the room, and Ava and her father got to dance to a curated playlist that one of the music therapists created. Funds to support this special moment came from a Cleveland Clinic Catalyst Grant that’s designated to personalize legacy experiences for children with complex, chronic illnesses.

“Even though I had to miss the father-daughter dance at my school, this was super magical and cool. I got to dance with my dad to all my favorite songs,” says Ava.

Sean says, “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.”

Less than a month after the father-daughter dance, a donor heart was identified for Ava. Dr. Townsend came to the hospital that night to whisper the good news in Ava’s ear.

“I whispered it to Ava because I really wanted her to be the one to tell her parents. Getting to see Ava’s smile that day is one of the best parts of my job,” says Dr. Townsend.

In March 2025, Ava underwent a successful heart transplant performed by pediatric and congenital heart surgeon Hani Najm, MD.

“Suffering from severe heart failure, we knew Ava’s transplant would give her a new lease on life. Innovations in the pediatric transplant field have significantly improved patient outcomes as well as the longevity of transplanted hearts and other organs,” says Dr. Najm.

Following her transplant, Ava spent a month in the hospital recovering. Dr. Townsend explains Ava had been in heart failure for almost a year at that point, and her body needed time to recover. But on April 10, 2025, Ava was finally able to return home for the first time in eight months.

“I was so excited to be back in my own bedroom and be able to see my dog Rocky again,” exclaims Ava.

According to Dr. Townsend, Ava’s donor heart is functioning well and hasn’t shown any signs of rejection. From here, the care team will continue monitoring Ava as she gets further out from her surgery.

“Ava’s recovering as expected, and she's getting stronger every day after her heart transplant. Ava has this second shot at life because a family in their worst moment said yes to organ donation,” says Dr. Townsend.

With her new heart, Ava has more energy to play with her sister, Kennedy, and chase her dog around the yard. She now looks forward to starting school again.

“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,” says Ava.

Ava and her family are grateful to be back together at home and even more thankful for the life-saving gift of organ donation that made this all possible.

“We can't even put into words how thankful we are to our donor family. They’re the reason Ava is here today, and we’re forever grateful,” says Jamie.

Ava adds, “To other kids in the hospital, try to find ways to stay positive. Even though it’s different than being at home, you can still do the things you enjoy. Try to make the most of each day.”