COLERAIN TWP, Ohio. — Allen Tumey is happy.
Not just because he's an 8-year-old kid who loves his Christmas presents, but because of the new heart beating inside his chest, giving him a new chance at life.
After a lifetime of hospital stays, Tumey is now home following a successful heart transplant.
"It's great having him home," said Tumey's mother, Amanda Stickrod. "He's enjoying being home."
Stickrod said it's been a journey of ups and downs. Her son is nonverbal and has spent most of his life in and out of hospitals for congenital heart defects.
When we spoke with Stickrod in September, Tumey was on the heart transplant waitlist at Cincinnati Children's Hospital. At the time, he was cheering on the Reds in the playoffs, though he didn't get to watch a long postseason run. Despite that disappointment, Tumey would soon be celebrating the biggest win of all.
WATCH: Allen Tumey plays in his front yard after a successful heart transplant
Getting the call
On Nov. 5, Stickrod was driving back to the hospital after work when her phone rang just before 9 p.m.
"I actually thought it was him calling, because he was calling me wanting to talk, but it was the nurse coordinator, and she was like, 'We found a heart for Allen,'" Stickrod said.
It was the news she'd been waiting more than 6 months for, and she told us it came much sooner than she expected.
"So many emotions, like, I couldn't stop shaking," she said. "Nobody prepares you for that moment. ... Everything happened so quick. Never did I think he would get a heart this quick, because he was listed as 'stable' even though he really wasn't."
Two days later, Tumey underwent the life-saving surgery. It lasted around 8 hours.
"It was nerve-racking," Stickrod said. "Luckily, I had my family with me, and then just waiting, because after they left, I was by myself, so it was pretty scary."
Recovery challenges
After the transplant, Stickrod said Tumey faced several complications during his recovery. He developed fluid overload and was placed on a CRRT machine, similar to dialysis, to help remove excess fluid.
"Once he was able to get up, there were some complications where he couldn't stand, like, he arched back," Stickrod said. "So for a while he wasn't able to sit alone or stand."
Stickrod said Tumey spent about a week in the ICU, followed by two to three weeks in step-down care. He had to return to the catheterization lab multiple times for routine post-transplant monitoring.
"They did a normal cath a week after his transplant," Stickrod said. "And then there were some findings on his ultrasound or his echo that they needed to check on."
Within the last month, Stickrod said Tumey has made significant progress. He can now sit alone and stand, though he still has limitations.
"He's still not able to stand for long periods of time, but he still has a tip-toe walk," Stickrod said.
Tumey recently had physical therapy and occupational therapy evaluations as he continues his recovery at home.
Allen's journey
Tumey was diagnosed with complex congenital heart defects at birth, including tricuspid valve dysplasia, atrial septal defect and pulmonary atresia. That means some of his heart valves didn't develop correctly and he had a hole in his heart.
Tumey had his first open-heart surgery at one week old.
He underwent two other surgeries, plus additional surgeries unrelated to his heart defects. Following his third open-heart surgery, known as a Fontan, which reroutes oxygen-poor blood from the body directly to the lungs, Stickrod said he developed complications that persisted for several years.
Tumey was put on the heart transplant wait list on May 22. He was admitted to Cincinnati Children's Hospital on June 9 with a fluid overload and remained at the hospital until his successful transplant and recovery.
Because of HIPAA protections, Tumey's family does not know who his donor is. Should they wish to connect with the donor's family, they can reach out to the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) in a year.
But Stickrod told us her message for Tumey's donor.
"I would say thank you. I'm very thankful that you chose to donate in the time of grief."
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
