Jhett Skaggs

Type of Donation:             Heart recipient

Age and Location:             Age 12 – Lexington, OK

Transplant Date:               2007 and 2018

Sponsor:                               Honored by LifeShare Transplant Donors Services of OK

JHETT’S STORY

When Jhett Skaggs, of Lexington, Okla., was just a few months old, his parents noticed he had difficulty nursing, crawling and would suddenly stop breathing. He was diagnosed with a rare heart condition, and the Skaggs family was told that if he were to survive, he would need a new heart. They relocated Jhett’s care to Texas Children’s Hospital, and the doctors implanted him with a Berlin heart to keep him alive. Two weeks later, Jhett received his new heart at just ten months old.

He and his family made the trip to Houston multiple times a year for routine appointments to check the progress of his heart. Everything seemed to be going great for about five years, until September 2012, when doctors noticed Jhett’s heart rate was alarmingly rapid. The doctor visit turned into an overnight stay which led to two weeks in the hospital. Doctors discovered that Jhett had transplant coronary artery disease and the only cure would be another transplant.

In November 2012, Jhett was listed for a second heart transplant. He and his dad moved back near Texas Children’s Hospital, hundreds of miles away from his mom and sister. While he was waiting for his second lifesaving transplant, he began taking golf lessons at a local course and got involved in the PGA junior league. Since he was unable to attend school, this allowed him to be around other kids and have fun. Being away from his mom, sister and friends, golf seemed to provide Jhett with some normalcy, and He even built a great relationship with college golf teams.

After 5 1/2 long years of waiting for a new heart, Jhett received a call that would save his life. He received his transplant in July 2018. Three months later, he and his dad were finally able to move back home to Oklahoma with his mom and sister.

Jhett, now 12, is thankful for every day he is given. He still plays golf, and hopes to play on a professional level one day, and teach others how to play, too.