Maverick Bishop has spent the last 20 months in Toronto waiting for a heart transplant. On Saturday, he finally returned home.
The nine-year-old boy from Stratford, P.E.I., was born with congenital heart disease.
After undergoing five open-heart surgeries before his fifth birthday, he was put on the waiting list for a heart transplant in September 2024.
The transplant went ahead in January. Following rehab and several post-surgery setbacks, he was finally cleared to return to the Island.
“It was cool to see all my friends happy, and that’s what I love,” Maverick said of the surprise party at his house.
He said it was amazing to see so many people there to welcome him home and he is excited to go back to school and play with his friends.
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Marie-Eve Roy, Maverick’s mother, said the family had to stay within a two-hour radius of Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Children for nearly two years in case a donor heart became available.
“He’s been waiting for this moment for so long, to just come home and play with his friends,” Roy said. “He can finally live a normal life.… He can feel it too, and it’s just very special to see him so proud of himself.”
After a 16-month wait, the family received a call that doctors had found a heart for Maverick on Jan. 30. He went in for surgery later that day.
Woodrow Bishop, Maverick’s father, said his son has been working hard at his rehabilitation. He said support from P.E.I. and all across Canada helped the family cope.
“It meant the world to us,” Bishop said, adding that the welcome home party was a huge surprise.
“There’s a reason why I’m wearing sunglasses,” Bishop said. “It’s extremely emotional. The look on his face when he’s doing things that he never could before — running, jumping.
“We got through a lot of challenging days and a lot of hurdles and, yeah, we got to the finish line.”
