A 9-year-old boy is back on the baseball field after fighting a major health battle.
In November, a routine dental procedure caused bacteria to travel to John Clark’s heart. He was flown to UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania, where he underwent open-heart surgery.
During the surgery, John suffered a massive stroke and, soon after, went into cardiac arrest. That caused his body to shut down certain functions, resulting in the amputation of his left leg.
“Even with the below-knee amputation and all the physical therapy, he just kept pushing forward in anything we asked him to do,” said John’s father, Jarrod Clark. “He just had that drive and determination.”
His father also said that among everything, John needed a heart transplant.
With his positive spirit and can-do attitude, John progressed more than the doctors and physical therapists thought he would.
“From the time he knew he was getting one, to right before he went in for his heart surgery, he was like, ‘Let’s get this done. Put me back there. I want to be back to my old self,'” Jarrod said.
After all the obstacles, John was able to return to his favorite sport, baseball.
On Wednesday night, John reunited with his baseball team for the final game of the season.
“I’m going to hit the ball and run to first base,” John said.
And he did just that, getting a standing ovation from the crowd.
“Just to get him back out there and seeing him do the things that he loves to do has just been great,” John’s father said.
The community had pitched in and started a GoFundMe fundraiser to help John in his recovery. Because of that, his family now wants to give back.
This weekend, the family helped put together a “fun run and walk.” The money raised is going to help local transplant families in need.