A U.K. boy born with half a heart has defied the odds by living seven years longer than doctors thought he would, The Daily Mail reported.
Sammy Hori was expected to die within a few days of his birth, but now he enjoys playing football, despite only having one heart ventricle.
His parents, Eileen and Ken, who live in Cambridge, England, knew of Sammy’s condition even before he was born. Sammy has had three open heart surgeries.
“It is incredible watching him playing football with his friends as we never expected him to live for more than a week,” said Eileen, 41.
When Sammy was born in 2004, he weighed 6 pounds, 13 ounces, and he was diagnosed with a double outlet right ventricle heart, meaning he had one pump instead of two.
Eileen said Sammy will always live with half a heart, but he can still have a normal life. If his ventricles in the right half should ever fail, then a heart transplant would be his next option, she added.
Click here to read more on this story from The Daily Mail and to see pictures of Sammy.
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