A little girl from Ohio called her dad with the good news he had been praying for after 200 days.
It’s scary when someone in our family or a close friend faces a serious medical problem. We do everything possible to get them the best care.
But sometimes we realize things are out of our hands, and we need a miracle. That’s when we know only God can help us.
The Cooper family found themselves in this very situation with their daughter Ava. But God had a plan.
Ava Cooper was born in 2014 with several heart problems. She had her first heart surgery when she was only six days old.
By age five, she had already gone through four open heart surgeries. Her parents thought the worst was behind them.
Then in May 2024, everything changed. What started as a simple sinus infection turned into heart failure for 11-year-old Ava.
The doctors delivered devastating news. Ava needed a heart transplant to survive. They put her on the transplant list right away.
The Cooper family made Cleveland Clinic Children’s Hospital their home for more than 200 days. Hospital hallways became their dining room. They celebrated holidays around Ava’s hospital bed.
The caring staff even set up a father-daughter dance so Ava could have special moments during her long stay.
Ava’s mother, Jamie Cooper, says her daughter kept the family strong. “Directly coming from Ava, you have to remain positive. You have to remain positive and look at the long game,” Jamie shared.
In March 2025, the Cooper family received the call they had been praying for. Jamie got the news first, then quickly called Sean, Ava’s father, who was home with their younger daughter.
Ava took the phone and announced the good news her dad had been waiting to hear: “Daddy, I’m getting a heart.”
Sean could barely speak through his emotions. “Oh, my goodness … Oh my goodness, Ava,” he said during the video call.
The next day, Dr. Hani Najm performed the heart transplant surgery. After eight months in the hospital, Ava finally went home. She can now swim, play outside, and just be a regular kid again.
Sean will never forget that phone call. “Hearing Ava say those words, ‘I’m getting a heart,’ was overwhelming,” he told reporters. “After everything she’d been through, we were finally one step closer to coming home for good.”
Ava said she felt excited and could hardly believe it was really happening. Her mom Jamie says every day since the surgery brings more progress.
“More and more it’s getting better. Like the further out we get from the transplant, the better she is, the better she looks.” Jamie said.
Now Ava looks forward to going back to school, something most kids take for granted.
The Cooper family knows their joy comes with a heavy truth. Behind every heart transplant is another family who had to say goodbye so someone like Ava could live.
The Cooper family waited 200 days for their answer to prayer. Sometimes God’s answers take longer than we expect. But our God is faithful, and we can believe that He will deliver at the right time.
Please pray for other families still waiting for their miracle, and for donor families who make these gifts of life possible.
WATCH: 11-Year-Old Girl Calls Dad With the Words He’d Been Praying For
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