A Michigan teen’s parents will never forget the moment their son woke up from a life-saving heart transplant, thanks to one special video.
Before 15-year-old Trevor Sullivan, of Detroit, underwent the heart surgery on November 13, 2015, he asked his parents to film the moment he woke up for the first time.
"I really like the video, actually," Trevor told ABC News on Friday. "I think it's really cool and I wish everyone in the world can see it because it really makes a difference. It promotes organ donation and people can see the outcome of it and how happy they really are."
As Trevor’s dad, Philip Sullivan, 43, explained, the teen was diagnosed with severe cardiomyopathy in February 2015, though he had been “feeling sick” for about a year beforehand.
"We just chalked it up to 'We don’t know whats going on,'" Sullivan said. "In September 2014, he was on the football field and said he didn't feel good...we thought it was allergies."
On February 12, 2015, Trevor had to be airlifted to the C.S. Mott Children's Hospital after suffering sudden heart failure.
It took exactly eight months before a viable donor heart became available for Trevor; he underwent the transplant surgery last November.
"We know that it was a younger person it came from, with good muscle tissue, a strong heart," he said. "It makes us feel really good that he was able to be saved because it was getting really scary. He was going down the wrong path, until we got the call."
Trevor’s mom, Kimberly, became the designated camerawoman who volunteered to film her son’s first moments waking up from the anesthesia.
"It blew me away," she told ABC News. "Honestly, for me, I didn't know what to expect. I kind of thought he'd wake up disoriented and in pain, but instead he woke up happy, ready to go and pleased with what he was going through. He made all the worrying that a mom would do go away."
In the touching video, Trevor describes to his family exactly how he’s feeling just moments after waking up with a brand new heart.
"I'm so happy," he said with tears streaming down his cheeks. "I've been waiting so long. I can breathe again and talk. I feel amazing. I've never felt so good."
Earlier this week, Philip decided to share the deeply emotional video on the Gift of Life Michigan's Facebook page, where it was instantly viewed more than 700,000 times.
Grab a box of tissues and check out the tear-jerking video below now!
