WAUKEE, Iowa — Former teachers, friends, and loved ones gathered at Eason Elementary School and Willowbrook Park to celebrate Ava Weitl coming home after 682 days in the hospital.

Ava has hypoplastic left heart syndrome, a rare heart condition, which required her to have a heart transplant.

Cristina DeShaw, Ava’s Mother, said she was happy to finally bring Ava home from the hospital.

“We celebrate Eva in 680 days of strength and resilience and being a bright light and so joyful through it all. And she’s inspired so many people. We heard that all the time,” DeShaw said.

Ava only had three weeks of fifth grade before heart complications forced her to go to Mayo Clinic Hospital.

“She arrived in the PICU September 10th of 2023. She had not been feeling well and we went up and then, much to our surprise, they said that she was going to have to stay indefinitely until she received her new heart,” DeShaw said.

Ava eventually received a heart transplant but she wasn’t out of the woods.

“They knew that her lungs might struggle afterwards because she’s had compromised lungs since she was a baby. And unfortunately, they did way more than they thought and she had several other complications. And so we actually lost her kidneys trying to save her lungs,” DeShaw said.

Ava would remain on dialysis for nearly a year before finding a kidney donor.

“So, she received her kidney transplant on January 20th. So we thought, okay, even on Ava’s timeline, we should be home by like March, right? Well, Ava’s body always has other plans. And so she ended up having a ton of complications. And here we are on July 23rd and she is finally home,” DeShaw said.

Ava’s parents, teachers, and former classmates surprised her by showing up to a fifth grade clap-out.

“So, seeing her face when she realized that everybody that she loves was on the other side was just such a gift,” DeShaw said.

DeShaw said she thinks her daughter’s condition will improve now that she is home.

“Nothing’s going to hold her back and she is just overjoyed to be here. Being home is the best medicine and being surrounded by her community and her friends and just doing normal 13 year old things. I know that’s going to do her body and her heart so much good after so long in the hospital,” DeShaw said.

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