Living with a life-limiting illness is hard enough for anyone, but spending months or even longer waiting on a transplant must be torturous. Thankfully, for 13-year-old Albert Jeffries, the long wait has come to an end.
Albert, or AlJ as he is affectionately known by family and friends, has captured hearts online this week after footage of his reaction to finding out he was finally getting his heart transplant was shared to Facebook.
AlJ was born with dilated cardiomyopathy, a condition whereby the heart’s ability to pump blood is decreased due to a weakness in one of the ventricles. He was hospitalised over the condition back in 2014, and has spent the past while waiting for a heart transplant.
When the news came in this week that doctors finally had a healthy heart for AlJ, his family decided to film themselves breaking the news to the teen – and what a moment it turned out to be.
Aljs response to getting his news about the heart
Posted by Teamalj fighting heart disease on Wednesday, March 9, 2016
“What’s going on? Do y’all have my heart? They’ve got my heart?!” an astonished AlJ says from his hospital bed.
When his family confirm the news, he goes through a whole range of emotions, and shock completely takes over.
“What’s going on?” the teen is seen asking, before adding, “How am I going to sleep?”
AlJ went on to have his transplant, with the family yesterday confirming via Facebook that he is doing well. The heart is said to be beating perfectly and AlJ has suffered no complications; he will, however, be monitored very closely over the coming weeks.
