How Two Life-Saving Heart Transplants
United Families

Carlos and Harrison don’t have a lot of common interests. One loves to roar like a dinosaur, go on explorations for insects and read National Geographic books. The other prefers to shoot his pretend web like Spiderman, kick and jump like a ninja and is bilingual, speaking Spanish and English.

But the 5-year-old boys are best friends, united by matching scars down the center of their chests.

In 2020, both received heart transplants at Children’s Health that saved their lives.

“I owe the team at Children’s Health everything. They gave me my baby back, and they treated him with so much respect and love,” said Carlos’ mom, Karla. “And Harrison’s family is like our family now.”

The families met in a break room at Children’s Medical Center Dallas.

Carlos — who was diagnosed suddenly with restrictive cardiomyopathy — had just been admitted to the hospital to wait for a new heart. And Harrison — who was diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy after his first birthday — was recovering from his heart transplant.

Born 15 days apart, the boys received heart transplants within two months of each other, and since then, the unique life experience has bonded the families.

“We probably never would have met each other if it wasn’t for this shared experience,” said Harrison’s mom, Gabrielle. “And since meeting, we’ve been together almost every weekend. We're lifelong friends now.”

Last year, Karla and her husband, Johnny, planted a peach tree in their backyard in honor of the donor family who saved their son’s life. Now growing and green, the fruit-bearing tree that Carlos runs laps around is a daily reminder of their son’s resilience. Because since his heart transplant, Carlos hasn’t stopped running.

For the last couple of years, Carlos has been cared for by a league of team members in the Pediatric Advanced Cardiac Care unit at Children’s Health. Because of the support of generous donors, these team members work together to provide holistic and innovative care to patients like Carlos every day.

The doctors, who broke news of the diagnosis and made the joyful call that Carlos’ new heart had arrived. The nurses, who checked his vitals and comforted Karla at night, when she cried while Carlos was asleep. And the physical therapist and child life specialist, who worked together to find ways for Carlos to play, even at his sickest.

“Sometimes, I would forget that we were in the hospital waiting on a heart because everyone was so nice and caring,” Karla said. “We met so many people who are now our best friends.”