Parker’s Journey: Oklahoma Boy Becomes First Pediatric Heart Recipient In Decades

It was an emotional day on Friday for an Oklahoma family whose young son received a heart transplant.

Parker Helmerich is the first pediatric heart recipient in decades, performed at the Oklahoma Children's Hospital. This groundbreaking milestone gives hope to other young heart patients across the state.

“It was a 10-year process of getting a team in place that could handle something like this,” said Pediatric Cardiothoracic surgeon Dr. Harold Burkhart, M.D.

The 11-month-old Tulsa boy was the first by Burkhart’s team.

“It feels like in some ways mission accomplished but in other ways, incredibly proud of what the team's done so far, but the work is just starting,” Dr. Burkhart said.

On Friday, the transplant team said goodbye to Parker, his parents Faith and David Helmerich say they’ve been like a family to them.

“They helped raise him with us for the past year and we couldn't have done it without them,” said Faith Helmerich, Parker’s mother.

Parker was born in December 2023 with critical pulmonary stenosis, a congenital heart defect.

“He looked healthy as can be, but his heart said otherwise,” Faith said.

The newborn was airlifted from Tulsa to the Oklahoma Children’s Hospital. In March, he was placed on the heart transplant list.

“The unknown of waiting was just kind of a strange feeling,” said David Helmerich, Parker’s father.

The family spent more than 300 days in the hospital while waiting for a heart transplant.

“Each day we were here we just looked at it as he's made it another day, we're one day closer to getting his perfect heart,” said Faith.

That perfect heart came in October. His transplant was carried out by a team of over 20 physicians, nurses, and specialists. Both Faith and David are deeply aware of the sacrifice that gave their son the gift of life.

“We are extremely grateful for the generous gift they gave us,” Faith said. “Organ donation is something I hope everyone considers it is extremely important and really helps saves lives.”

Following his surgery in October, Parker spent a little over a month in the hospital recovering.

“It's unbelievable the transformation he's made and the amount of healing he's been through,” said David.

On Friday, the family packed up to finally go home to Tulsa but not before the staff gave them a proper send-off including a pizza party and parade through the halls, filled with music, bubbles, and cheers. There were plenty of hugs and tears.

“Truly Faith and David have become like our family, but they've faced some really challenging times and they've done it with grace and humility and hope and fun,” said Laneale Robertson, PA.

Parker going home is the first of many milestones the staff here hopes to celebrate, as they will continue his care throughout his childhood.

“That's the best part of getting to be on his transplant team to witness the growth and getting to see the man he becomes,” said Emily Auld, PA.

“He’s a tough kid,” Dr. Burkhart added. “The hopes are he can live pretty much like a normal little boy.”

Paving the way for other young heart patients in the future. In 2022, the hospital opened Oklahoma’s only 25-bed pediatric cardiac intensive care unit (PCICU). Now with Parker’s successful surgery, Oklahoma Children’s Hospital OU Health now operates the only pediatric heart transplant program in the state.

“To now be able to offer this service that we haven't been able to do in over 30 years here, this is a huge momentous day, a huge relief to be able to do this kind of procedure here and the patient to not have to leave the state,” said Erik Edens, the Medical Director of the Pediatric Heart Transplant Program.