Fourteen years ago, a Langley baby made front page news of the Langley Times for a very special reason.
Then five months old, Aaron Nuessler and his parents, Corrina and Gerry, had just returned from Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Children where, at one month, Aaron received a new heart.
Fast forward to today, and Aaron is 14 and a typical teenager who loves YouTubing and playing Minecraft, and hanging out with his older brothers and his friends.
He’s in Grade 8 at Langley Fundamental and is excited for the summer break.
The “warrior scars” on his chest are a reminder of his medical miracle.
Getting a new heart offered Aaron a second chance at life, but that life hasn’t been without its challenges, including fighting cancer at eight years old.
“Aaron’s been through a lot of health challenges throughout his life, even cancer, but even through chemo his heart was a happy camper,” said mom Corinna, seated at the dining room table in their Willowbrook home.
When the Times interviewed Corinna in 2003, she said baby Aaron was a fighter, even before he was born.
“That hasn’t changed. He’s still a fighter. He’s my little nincompoop,” she teased while Aaron played League of Legends on the computer.
The Nuesslers aren’t allowed to know if Aaron’s heart came from a boy or a girl, but they are grateful to the donor family who gave their son life after a heart defect was discovered in utero.
“We owe that family so much. It hasn’t been an easy road, but we have Aaron because of them,” said Corrina.
After their son was born, Corrina and Gerry got to hold Aaron before he was whisked away to be put on a ventilators and tubes, where he remained for nearly a month until a heart was found.
The transplant went well and his heart is still beating strong after all these years, said.
Along the way, Children’s Organ Transplant Society (COTS) has been a big part of the Nuesslers’ lives, offering emotional support and advocacy. They also have provided lots of chances to go on fun outings with other transplant families.
“COTS has been a big part of our lives. They’ve really supported us through the challenges we’ve faced.
“They’ve helped Gerry and I with emotional support as well,” she said.
COTS is a non-profit that offers education, financial support, advocacy, sibling support as well as connecting transplant families with each other by providing social outings.
Before Aaron was born, the Nuesslers were sent to Toronto because they were told it was the best chance Aaron had to get a new heart.
The couple stayed in Toronto for six months, living at the Ronald McDonald House while their other two young boys stayed behind with their grandparents.
“It was really tough. It was hard on everyone.”
While in Toronto, they met another couple from B.C. whose baby daughter also had a heart transplant. The families remain close to this day.
“There was a heart in the air that was ready for Aaron, but it was small, so Hannah got that one instead,” said Corinna.
“I always joke that Hannah stole Aaron’s heart!”
The David Foster Foundation flew their boys to Toronto twice for visits.
Once Aaron had his new heart, it was a scary learning curve, said Corrina. He needed medications daily to survive. Aaron will remain on anti-rejection drugs for the rest of his life.
He currently takes five to seven pills a day. The drugs come with side-effects, including the risk of causing cancer as the Nuessler family learned.
In his younger years, Aaron battled numerous rounds of pneumonia that hospitalized him.
During this time, the Nuesslers also had to worry about how to put food on the table and keep a roof over their heads.
Only one of them could work as the other had to be with Aaron full-time.
Corinna worked to pay the bills for a family of five.
At age two, Aaron contracted a virus that left him in critical condition.
He was flown to B.C. Children’s where he remained hooked up to a heart and lung machine for 23 days. Corrina shared a picture of Aaron hooked up to dozens of wires and tubes. It’s difficult to look at, she said. But the worst was yet to come.
At eight years old, Aaron became sick with a virus that escalated the progress of a cancer that was already growing inside him, explained Corrina.
“Aaron was diagnosed with stage 4 Burkitt Lymphoma. It was devastating. But Aaron was such a trooper.”
Once again, the family found themselves living out of a hospital room.
Aaron underwent six months of intense chemotherapy that caused him severe pain, especially in his bones, said Corrina.
“Sometimes we would insist on giving him pain meds because he would never complain or ask for them, but we knew how bad it was.”
Aaron beat cancer but is still checked regularly.
Through it all, the family remains close, supporting each other and keeping a positive outlook.
“I get asked all the time, how do we do it? We just do. You have to.
“We love Aaron and we are all just glad to be a family unit,” said Corrina.