RIDGEFIELD — Jack Conover of Ridgefield is a goofy, full-of-life 8-year-old.
He makes bunny ears behind the heads of friends who are getting their pictures taken. He’s always moving: kicking a soccer ball, riding his bike, shooting hoops.
And, above all else, he’s healthy.
The same couldn’t be said about Jack one year ago.
“He wasn’t allowed to play contact sports, for sure, but he didn’t even have the energy to do anything else,” said Jack’s mom, Kelly Conover. “This is a huge deal.”
Jack was born with a congenital heart defect. After two heart surgeries as an infant, doctors told Conover that her son would need a transplant. His heart was too weak for a third procedure needed to repair his heart.
On June 14, 2014, Jack underwent a heart transplant at Seattle Children’s Hospital. On Sunday, he and his family, friends and other supporters celebrated Jack’s one-year Heart Day — one year, to the day, since Jack received a healthy heart.
“It’s very emotional,” Kelly Conover said. “If he wouldn’t have gotten his heart transplant, I don’t know where we would be today.”
At the time of the transplant, Jack’s heart was failing. His oxygen saturation was about 74 percent, giving his skin a bluish tint and causing him to tire quickly. He couldn’t participate in PE class, and recess was off limits.
Now, Jack looks and acts like any other healthy kid his age.
The best thing about having a new heart?
“I can run,” Jack said.
He also can play his favorite sports: football, basketball, soccer, baseball and anything else with a ball, “except tennis,” he said.
Jack spent his Sunday afternoon doing all of those things at Fairgrounds Community Park in Ridgefield. Jack and the dozens of people who showed up to celebrate with him snacked on cotton candy, and barbecued burgers and hotdogs.
Kids at the party made cards that Kelly Conover plans to send to Seattle Children’s Hospital and Randall Children’s Hospital at Legacy Emanuel in Portland, where Jack had his first two surgeries. Conover also handed out Donate Life bracelets and brochures, urging people to become organ donors.
“I don’t think we would be here today if not for the unselfish act his donor family made,” Conover said.
She said she hopes to one day meet Jack’s donor family.
In the last year, Jack has had regular checkups in Seattle. He hasn’t had any signs of rejection and only got sick a handful of times during cold and flu season. He’s getting better about taking his medication — immunosuppressants he’ll need for the rest of his life — and staying hydrated, a necessity for keeping his kidneys functioning, his mother said.
On Friday, Jack; his mother; her fiancé, Kris Anderson, who is Jack’s dad; and Jack’s brother, Patrick Anderson, made another trip to Seattle Children’s Hospital for Jack’s one-year biopsy. They’ll get those results today.
“He’s really doing phenomenal,” his mother said.
While Jack’s health has improved dramatically, he still has some limitations. He tires more quickly than other kids and is dealing with some physical delays — he can’t jump, for example — because he was so sick. He also has to be careful in crowded areas, particularly during flu season, because of his suppressed immune system.
But, despite those limitations, Jack is a happy, energetic and athletic kid.
“It’s emotional for me, as a mother,” Conover said. “I don’t even know how to put it into words what a blessing it is to see … to see the little Jack we all knew was inside that body.”
