Aurora Boy Is Youngest Person To Receive Total Artificial Heart
CHICAGO (CBS) -- An Aurora boy is the youngest person in the world to be walking around with a completely artificial heart.
Jaheim Whigham is 11-years old and one of only 40 people in the world to have a smaller-sized Syncardia total artificial heart.
Jaheim was born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome. He received his first heart transplant in 2012 when he was 7-years old.
During a routine check-up in October at Lurie's Children's Hospital, tests revealed Jaheim's body rejected the transplant. He was immediately admitted to the hospital and several weeks later, Jaheim's other organs began to fail.
Lurie Children's cardiac surgeons made the decision to remove his transplanted heart and implanted the 50cc SynCardia Total Artificial Heart.
Doctors at Lurie Children's Hospital implanted it on Dec. 1 during a surgery that took more than 14 hours. WBBM's Nancy Harty reports.
Jaheim told reporters and hospital staff at a press conference Tuesday that he can't wait to go home once he gets a smaller power supply for his new heart.
His mom, LaKim Whigham, said she couldn't give up on her son, even after losing two other children to hypoplastic left heart syndrome.
"That's my baby, I couldn't give up, I won't give up, I will never give up," said LaKim Whigham.
Dr. Stuart Berger heads the Heart Center at Lurie and said the device will allow children to live longer as they wait for transplants.
"We will find that this technology will be available more and more," Dr. Berger said. "It's not an easy technology, but its going to give kids the ability to buy some time."
Dr. Kiona Allen said the device will make recipients better candidates for transplants because it will make them healthier.
Jaheim was able to hug his younger brother Raheim on Tuesday morning for the first time since the surgery last month, something that brought the older brother to tears.
Syncardia also makes a larger artificial heart - this one is 50ccs and designed for women, smaller men and adolescents.
The power supply for the heart is roughly the size of an office fax machine.
The new one that Jaheim is slated to receive on Thursday, fits in a backpack.