In his short three years on this earth, 2017 Heart Child of the Year Cooper Browner has faced open-heart surgery, had his gallbladder removed and has received a heart transplant. As a tribute for his unwavering strength, Cooper and his mom, Kari Heimericks, were honored during the American Heart Association's 2017 Heart Ball.
"This is a special moment for him," Heimericks said. "He deserves it. At 3 years old, he has been through a lot.
Every year, the American Heart Association presents a family the Heart Child of the Year Award - making this year Jefferson City's 26th year celebrating the journey with a local family.
In an interview with the News Tribune, Heimericks said it has been an uphill battle from his birth.
At 20 weeks prior to conception, Heimericks was told her unborn child had major heart complications that could potentially threaten his livelihood. She didn't know much about heart disease, but knew she had to stay positive.
"It was pretty much a guessing game," Heimericks said. "We knew if it was meant to be, he would be here. So we tried our best to stay positive."
On Nov. 22, 2013, when Cooper was born, the doctors identified three major issues:
Instead of four chambers in his heart, he only had three.
He had a cleft mitral valve, which could lead to fluid buildup in the lungs.
Instead of a three-vein umbilical cord, he had a two-vein umbilical cord. To resolve these issues, the doctor determined that Cooper would need open-heart surgery.
Heimericks said her 7-month-old son underwent open-heart surgery at Cardinal Glennon Hospital in St. Louis, to correct the issue of having only three chambers in his heart. But since his heart was used to pumping with three chambers, it was not strong enough to support the new chamber.
This created a new road bump where it was clear that Cooper would need a heart transplant.
"I was at the hospital Friday through Monday, and my my mom was there Tuesday through Thursday," Heimericks said. "It was basically a waiting game."
It was July 2014 when Cooper was placed on life support; and it wasn't until Sept. 3, 2014, when they got the call that the hospital had a heart available. Everything went well, and all that was left for him to do was gain his strength.
Finally, on Oct. 10, Heimericks and Cooper were released to start their journey together in the comfort of their home.
Upon his release, Cooper was prescribed 17 medications. Today, he is down to only five.
During the Heart Ball a tribute video was presented to the family displaying pertinent moments to Cooper's journey.
"I'm grateful for this opportunity to show other families there is hope," Heimericks said. "It lets them know that you can take a negative and turn it into a positive."