Erie, Pa (WJET/WFXP/YourErie.com)– After a near-death experience with their six-year-old son, one family is looking for a Christmas miracle.
This family had their world turned upside down and is hoping for a heart transplant before it’s too late.
“There were three or four police officers on the stairs and I said ‘move out of my way I have to get to my grandson,'” said Dara Fuhrman, Jonah’s grandmother and owner of Little Dance Studio.
Around 5 a.m. on November 26, six-year-old Jonah collapsed and went into cardiac arrest. Jonah’s father was forced to give heart compressions after three minutes of no pulse, he was taken to Hamot then life-flighted to the Cleveland Clinic.
About a year ago, it was discovered that Jonah has restrictive cardiomyopathy, a rare heart condition that his mother Lindsey also experienced.
Lindsey’s parents went through a similar scare when she was 17.
“I never thought I would have to do this in my lifetime again, that was 22 years ago when they told Lindsey that it was not genetic,” Dara Fuhrman said.
Dara and husband Mark said their grandson’s condition is more severe.
“Jonah is considered a category 1A so, that’s as serious as it gets. It’s medically necessary that he has the transplants and it’s medically necessary that he stays in the hospital to stay alive,” said Mark Fuhrman, Jonah’s grandfather and owner of Little Dance Studio.
Wednesday he was officially put on the heart transplant list.
Owners of the dance studio said they have already had an overwhelming outpouring of support from the community.
“I go home and there’s piles of boxes on our stairs for Jonah, there’s mail coming out of the woodwork and it’s all for Jonah people have just been wonderful,” Dara said.
“At the end of the day, our grandson is alive and he has hope. He could have died Sunday,” Mark said. “The timing of all of this gives me hope to know that there’s something important for that young man to accomplish that he has not accomplished yet.”
His mom, dad, and two-year-old brother are temporarily living two hours away in Cleveland, and while facing many challenges, still continue to hold their positive outlook.
“We’re partnering with COTA (the Children’s Organ Transplant Association) to raise funds for Jonah’s lifetime need of transplant expenses. 100 percent of the funds raised for COTA for Jonah’s Journey go toward meeting those expenses,” Mark went on to say.
If you would like to donate to COTA for Jonah’s Journey, you can do so online here.
