An Oklahoma baby is celebrating his first birthday two months after receiving a life-saving heart transplant.

Parker Helmerich and his family marked the baby’s first year on December 11th with a special parade, his mother, Faith Helmerich, said.

In October, Parker underwent heart surgery to address a condition called pulmonary stenosis, which wasn’t detected until he was born.

Now, Parker is at home with his parents. His mother says his personality “has been revealed” since leaving the hospital, and he’s started showing his “silly, giggling side.”

“He seems to be doing well at home!” Faith said of her “easygoing” son.

Faith and her husband David, both 33, initially believed Parker was “perfectly healthy” when he was born in Tulsa. But soon after, Faith said they learned he was “seriously ill.”

“Thirty minutes after he was born, hospital staff noticed his color and breathing,” Faith explained. He was then diagnosed with pulmonary stenosis.

Pulmonary stenosis is a condition where the valves in the lungs narrow, preventing proper blood flow to the heart and lungs.

Faith said she and her husband “didn’t know” their son had a heart defect until he was born.

“Watching your baby being taken away, after you think everything was perfect, is heartbreaking,” she recalled. “We didn’t know what had happened to him, and when we found out, we were shocked.”

Parker was eventually taken to Oklahoma Children’s Hospital, where he spent several months in intensive care. He had undergone “a stroke, seizures, abdominal surgery, and several other catheterization procedures on his heart,” according to his mother.

In March, doctors determined a heart transplant was Parker’s “best option” for survival. He had spent 198 days waiting on the transplant list.

On his 300th day in the hospital, Faith said her son finally received a heart. This was the first pediatric heart transplant at Oklahoma Children’s Hospital in 30 years.

“When he was wheeled down, we felt peace,” Faith said. “We trusted the doctors and staff, and knew he was in the best hands.”

She then added, “When we found out that Parker’s heart was beating, that was the happiest moment of our lives!”

Parker and his donated heart are now “doing very well” and “functioning wonderfully,” according to Faith. “He’s really starting to act like a normal 1-year-old,” she added, “and we couldn’t be more grateful!”

Parker was discharged from the hospital on November 22nd, “just in time to celebrate our first holiday at home with Parker,” Faith said.

On December 11th, Parker celebrated his first birthday with a parade. Friends and family made signs and carried balloons as they drove past his house.

“It was wonderful to see faces we hadn’t seen in over a year,” Faith said, then added, “It was a surreal moment!”

Faith praised the efforts of Dr. Erik Edens, who performed the heart surgery, and others at Oklahoma Children’s Hospital who helped their son survive.

“They really felt like family to us,” she explained. “They are the people we celebrated the holidays with. They are the people who witnessed Parker’s first milestones. They will forever be etched in our memories for the positive impact they had on our journey and our lives.”

She also expressed gratitude to the family of the child who donated their heart to Parker. “They just lost a child and are choosing to let them live through the gift of organ donation,” she explained. “That’s something we will never take for granted.”

Now, Faith says she and David “are looking forward to celebrating Christmas with him, just like we thought we would last year.”

“If we’ve learned anything through this experience, it’s to enjoy every little moment,” she said. “Health is a blessing. Life is a gift.”