GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Heart disease and strokes kill more people a year than all forms of cancer combined. But a West Michigan teenager is one of the survivors of heart disease.
16-year-old Charlie Seufert was born with Congenital Heart Defects, needing intervention with his aortic valve at just nine weeks old.
"Fast forward to age 10," said his mom Mindy Seufert, "And when he was in fifth grade, he needed an open heart surgery to fix valve on the other side, on the pulmonary side of his heart."
Things after that went well for Charlie. He was an athlete, playing tennis and golf, and working on his strength.
"Nobody could believe this weird heart that they'd never seen before was functioning that great," said Mindy.
That was until he reached age 16. His family does not know what brought it on or how long it was happening, but Charlie was in atrial fibrillation for quite some time. He went to the emergency room, needed to be shocked back to sinus rhythm, and spent 14 days in the intensive care unit.
"It was scary, really scary," said Mindy.
The damage done to Charlie's heart was irreversible. He needed a heart transplant.
Miraculously, he found a donor match in eight hours.
"Oh, it's sick," said Charlie of his heart transplant. "It's sick."
"We're just so grateful," said Mindy. "We're so thankful. We feel like his time wasn't now."
The transplant was in January. Now, four months later, he is back to playing golf with the East Grand Rapids varsity golf team.
"Especially with how weak I was and how low my lows were," said Charlie. "I mean, it's a miracle I'm out here right now, much less playing some pretty good golf."
Charlie said he doesn't hit the ball nearly as hard or far as he did in the fall, and he needs to use a cart while he builds his stamina. However, to Charlie, it was all worth it.
"I feel great," said Charlie. "I'm able to do the things that I love. So, there's no way for me not to feel good."
Charlie's story is being featured at the Grand Rapids Heart Ball Thursday. The ball is the American Heart Association's largest fundraising event of the year. It raises money to support the association's 2024 Health Equity Impact Goal, reducing barriers to health care access and quality.
Mindy Seufert is co-chairing the event with Dr. Ronald Grifka of University of Michigan Health-West. Grifka was one of Charlie's cardiologists from birth.
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