Shelley teen organizes fundraiser for classmate who recently received new heart
Published atSHELLEY – A 5K fundraiser will be held Saturday to benefit a local 12-year-old boy who recently received a heart transplant.
Jacob Cox was born with Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome (HLHS). He was placed on a heart transplant list on May 21 and almost three weeks later, he received his new heart at Primary Children’s Medical Center in Salt Lake City.
“Our lives will forever be changed,” Nicole Cox, Jacob’s mother, said. “He will be able to learn how to drive a car, go on his first date, get married and have a family. That was almost taken from him.”
To celebrate his new heart and raise funds for the Cox family, Klarissa Andersen, an upcoming senior and four-year Cross Country team member at Shelley High School, organized a 5K fun run. It’s entitled “All Aboard Jacob’s Express,” themed around Jacob’s love for trains.
The event will be held at Journey’s End Golf Course in Shelley on Aug. 1 and all proceeds from the race will go to Jacob.
“I’m excited to do something so impactful for my senior project,” Andersen said. “We’re going to have music and balloons and of course train whistles! I’m happy for his new heart.”
Since birth, Jacob has had to undergo several extensive heart surgeries. This past January, Jacob “started to slow down, getting more tired and requiring more oxygen,” Cox said. “In April, he got Influenza B. His little heart couldn’t handle it and it pushed him further and faster into heart failure.”
When doctors began the 12-hour surgery June 7, they discovered Jacob’s defective heart was worse than they thought.
“He would not have lived much longer,” Cox said. “[But] his heart started right up the second the doctor unclamped his arteries.”
Jacob continues to recover from his surgery and is expected to return to Idaho in September.
“We are forever grateful for this family who lost their loved one and have unselfishly given life to another child,” Cox said. “Words can’t express our gratitude for this family. We feel like this family is a part of our family now.”
The “All Aboard Jacob’s Express” fun run begins at 7 a.m. Saturday. Participants may register online through Friday.