It's Happening: Baylor Has a New Heart
By Julie Perine on May 25, 2025 from It’s Happening
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On February 4, we brought you the story of 2-year-old Baylor Waggamon, who had been hospitalized at UPMC since August of 2024, awaiting a heart transplant. For several months, his life was sustained by a Berlin Heart, a mechanical pump.
Since birth, he had been treated for a rare congenital heart defect which at first was manageable with medication. It became obvious last summer that he would need a new heart.
Well, last week – on Tuesday, May 6 specifically – he got one.
I was sitting on my front porch that evening when I got a call from Baylor’s grandma, Kim Waggamon. She was overjoyed that the long-awaited life-saving surgery was taking place. It went on several hours into the night. All the families praying for this little guy awoke to news Wednesday morning that he had done so well. His chest was left open and closed later that day after which his breathing tube and ventilator were removed.
At 9:30 that night, he was alert and swabbing his own mouth with water and the following day was sitting up. Oh, my heart, what a little trooper!
On May 8, his family reported that he was drinking apple juice and doing well, but an ultrasound had indicated that he developed a blood clot in his left arm where – after nine months – a pic line had been removed. He was put on a blood thinner and was placed on a regular oxygen cannula, sitting up in his bed playing.
It was around that time that I was able to talk with Baylor’s grandpa at Johnson Elementary School, where he serves as a crossing guard. He was all smiles and said he felt a huge load had been lifted from his shoulders since little Baylor had his surgery.
Tuesday, Baylor had his first biopsy to check for organ rejection. Pending a good outcome, he will be discharged from the hospital and move into the Ronald McDonald House for the next several weeks so he will be close to UPMC for checkups, etc.
Since following little Baylor’s journey, I have been in awe of him and his parents Madison and Jacob. These young people kept a positive attitude, knowing that their little boy would be ok. They rejoiced for the rare times he was able to get outside and enjoy a little sunshine and those occasions only happened a couple times since he had been at UPMC.
On Wednesday afternoon, in his own sweet little voice, Baylor announced on Facebook that he was rejection free. As he recovers and continues his health journey, I think his family appreciates the ongoing prayers of our community!
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