Five-year-old Ari Schultz was still in-utero when he was diagnosed with critical aortic stenosis.
"This meant if we didn't intervene before he was born, he would have only a two chamber heart," his family said on a website for Ari.
"We did, indeed, intervene; first at 20 weeks of gestation, setting us on a wild and unexpected path."
He has undergone over 20 surgeries in the past five years, two of which were conducted while he was still in his mother's uterus.
Despite the tough start little Ari has had, he has remained extremely positive, and recently got the most incredible news.
On March 3, after waiting for a long 211 days, doctors told Ari's parents that a suitable heart had been found.
Ari's parents, Mike and Erica, then shared the news with little Ari while filming his response, and the results were heartwarming.
Mike tells his son that the doctors have found a heart, and Ari is clearly emotional, holding back the tears while quizzing his dad about the situation.
"Does this mean I can go home?" he asks, excited about the possibility of having a normal life.
Ari, an avid sports fan, then goes back to playing with a baseball bat, ready to endure whatever life throws at him.
The five-year-old underwent his transplant surgery, and as of now "he's stable in the cardiac intensive care unit. He is deeply sedated and has a breathing tube in. He looks like he's resting comfortably."
Ari is expected to take up to three months to recover from his heart transplant surgery, but his parents are just grateful to have a new hope.
"Expectations don't really matter," says Mike. "We're day to day."
Get well soon, Ari.
