Standout former NFL tight end Greg Olsen’s son TJ was born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome, and just a few weeks ago things were looking grim as Olsen asked for prayers.
This week, he got to ring the bell.
TJ had already endured three open heart surgeries in his eight short years on earth, and “has survived with a modified heart” his entire life. Olsen said his son’s heart was “reaching its end” and needed a transplant.
Shortly after Olsen’s prayer request, a donor match was found and TJ went into surgery on June 4th. The surgery was successful and TJ can now look forward to a life with a new, healthy heart.
He celebrated by ringing the bell at the Levine Children’s Hospital in Charlotte, North Carolina, as his dad and other family members and hospital staff cheered him on.
“We are finally whole again and we couldn’t be more thankful! Thank you for all the amazing support and prayers!”, Olsen wrote on Twitter.
Of course, in the joy that comes with a life being saved, anytime there is a transplant that means someone else has lost a loved one. Olsen specifically asked for prayers for the donor’s family.
Olsen and his wife, Kara, have created The HEARTest Yard, which provides help to families in a similar situation to what they’ve gone through with their son. If you’d like to check out the work they’re doing, you can visit their website HERE.
Background
Back in May, Olsen said his eight-year-old TJ’s heart “is reaching its end.”
The retired Carolina Panthers tight end revealed his son — who has undergone four surgeries after being born in 2012 with a congenital heart defect — is struggling.
Olsen said he and his family were “working through the process to determine our next steps, which ultimately could lead to a heart transplant.”
In his tweets, Olsen thanked his supporters for their prayers, describing his young son as “a fighter since birth.”
“We are going to get through this as a family and be better off as a result of this experience,” the athlete tweeted.
Despite his myriad health setbacks, TJ has lived a relatively normal life. He served as a bat boy for his older brother Tate’s Little League team, which Olsen coached, according to ESPN.
“I learned that the simplest things made me the happiest,” Olsen said of coaching the team. “On a Friday night, when a lot of people wanted to do a million different things, I was taking the boys to practice, then meeting my wife and daughter and the other families for pizza down the street, sitting there and hanging out with the other families and my kids and wife.”
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“We didn’t need to do anything fancy or go on fancy trips,” he added. “It was really a unique experience. I really enjoyed it.”
People all across social media sent messages of support to the Olsens.
The Rev. Franklin Graham, president of Samaritan’s Purse, took to Twitter to encourage his followers to pray for Olsen and TJ.
Others shared their support, too.
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