An (adorable) reminder that even our littlest loved ones need a new heart sometimes.
After spending 211 days at Boston Children’s Hospital, 5-year-old Ari Schultz had the greatest reaction to the news that he would finally get a new heart.
“Are you scared?” asks his dad Mike Schultz in the heartwarming clip.
“Yeah,” says Ari.
“Are you excited too?” prompts his mom, Erica Schultz.
“Yeah!” replies Ari, smiling.
“Mommy and daddy will be here with you the whole time,” adds Erica. “We love you so much.”
When his parents, who raise medical funds for Ari on GoFundMe, explain that he’ll go under anesthesia, a sleepy medicine that makes you “not remember things,” he tenses up.
“Will that mean I won’t remember when we play baseball?” he asks.
“No, of course not!” Mike and Erica respond.
Ari, who received his new heart last week at Boston Children’s Hospital, has been healing in the cardiac ICU as his parents raise
“He is awake, the breathing tube is out and he’s breathing on his own. Ari has a very long road ahead of him, but so far his new heart is cooperating,” Mike and Erica Schultz, who provide updates on Ari on their blog Echo of Hope, tell PEOPLE in a joint statement. “We appreciate the outpouring of care and support we have received from around the world, and are focused on caring for Ari during this crucial time. We will be forever grateful to the donor family for their selfless act, and our hearts go out to them.”
This story is from People.Com.