Seven-year-old Hank Morgan is a busy 2nd grader. In the winter you can often find him hitting the slopes as part of a Freestyle and Nordic ski team. When the weather warms up, he trades his skies for a mountain bike or a soccer ball. To see him now, you wouldn’t know that Hank battled serious medical problems his first couple years of life.
When Hank was born, he appeared to be a normal, healthy baby. But at two weeks, he stopped eating. His parents, Ned and Anne, decided to take Hank to Primary Children’s Hospital for some tests. Doctors quickly determined that Hank had Left Ventricular Noncompaction, a heart muscle condition in which the muscular wall of the main pumping chamber of the heart appears to be spongy and “non-compacted.” This diagnosis would ultimately required a heart transplant.
That day came when Hank was just one year old. Since Hank was so young when the transplant occurred, his parents wanted to share his story with him.
This interview was recorded as part of a partnership between Primary Children’s and StoryCorps. Over a three-month period, a team of hospital staff recorded the personal stories of current and former patients. All of the recordings will be housed in the Library of Congress. Some might even air on National Public Radio.
Hank’s Story is part of an ongoing series produced by Primary Children’s. To hear other stories follow the links below.
- Eli’s Story: A Parent’s Perspective on Having a Child with SCID
- Ashtyn’s Story: How Faith Helped her Fight Cancer
- Sadie’s Story: The Two Thing that Helped her Through a Liver Transplant
*Produced by Sandra Orton, Communications Specialist, with interviews recorded at Primary Children’s on behalf of StoryCorps, a national nonprofit whose mission is to provide Americans of all backgrounds and beliefs with the opportunity to record, share, and preserve the stories of our lives. Storycorps.org.
