K9 delivers Valentines to heart transplant recipients at Cincinnati Children's

CINCINNATI — Chevy the golden retriever is making the rounds to keep spirits high at Cincinnati Children’s this Valentine’s Day.

The community sent over 350,000 Valentine’s cards addressed to young patients at Children’s this year, but to get the cards to the patients, the hospital enlisted their furry friend Chevy’s help.

The canine Cupid loves the attention from 2-year-old heart transplant recipient Hadley and one of her best buds, 13-year-old Hope Weaver.

“He came to the rooms and gave us Valentines from actual people," the eighth-grader from Mason said.

After being diagnosed with myocarditis, Hope has been in and out of the hospital since June of last year. Three weeks ago, she received a much-needed heart transplant.

"I'm forever grateful,” said Hope’s mom, Stefani Weaver. “We actually got to go look at her heart on Monday and after looking at all the things that were wrong with it, she wouldn't have lived much longer without their gift to us."

Hope says she can’t wait to get out of the hospital to test her new heart out on the softball field, and she wants to eat a big juicy steak as soon as she can. The weeks-long recovery is tough, but Hope and Hadley's four-legged pal Chevy is helping keep spirits high.

"He had the little Valentines in the pocket; he had a cute little red polka-dot bow tie,” Stefani said. “[Hope] likes seeing Chevy because it reminds her of our dog at home. It was pretty adorable. He hopped up there -- he's such a good dog.”

You can still submit Valentine’s Day cards for Children’s patients that are specially printed by RPI to prevent the spread of germs. Kolar, the company that designed the cards, did a $20,000 match for every dollar raised with the campaign. To send a Valentine, click here.

You can also help support “Hearts for Hope” at a benefit in Hope’s honor Feb. 22 at Mt. Lookout Tavern from 12-6 p.m. For more information, click here.