Overview

• Born with complex heart defects, Ava Cooper underwent four open-heart surgeries before age five and declined again in 2024 with heart failure.
• After more than 200 days in the hospital on the transplant list, she received the call in March and told her parents she was getting a heart.
• Cleveland Clinic Children’s surgeons performed the transplant the next day, and her care team reports the new heart is working well with no signs of rejection.
• She spent about a month recovering in the hospital, returned home in April, and has since resumed swimming, playing outside, and celebrating her 11th birthday.
• The family recounts making memories during the wait with holiday celebrations and a father-daughter dance, and they emphasize positivity and gratitude toward the donor family.