KIDS WITH COURAGE: Micah Gatz

ROCHESTER, Minn. (KTTC) – As most students are settling into their classrooms for the new school year, KTTC’s September Kid With Courage is not. He’s completing his schoolwork from his hospital room.

Micah Gatz, 12, of Rochester showed our news crew his strings of 198 yellow beads, representing the number of days he’s been hospitalized at Mayo Clinic - Saint Marys.

“I’ve got all my books over there,” Micah said.

A picture of his classmates is posted on his door. That’s the closest Micah has gotten to being with his class all school year.

When he’s not doing schoolwork, he keeps busy with other activities, like his Zelda game, while he waits for the call that could change his life.

“I’m here, because I’m waiting for a heart, and now, we’re on the transplant list,” Micah said.

Micah has restrictive cardiomyopathy.

“With that, his heart muscle is kind of thicker than normal and doesn’t relax normally. And over time, he’s developed heart failure because of that,” explained Mayo Clinic Medical Director for Pediatric Heart Failure and Heart Transplant Dr. Rebecca Ameduri. Ameduri said the condition is rare.

Micah’s parents, Eric and Heather, told KTTC that Micah’s health journey began at a routine check-up when he was just four years old.

His doctor noticed something while listening to his heartbeat.

“It really was her just being extra cautious,” Eric said.

Micah’s doctor referred him to Mayo Clinic, where he underwent testing. Doctors decided to compare what they saw at his four-year appointment to more tests a year later.

That led the Gatz family to a diagnosis.

“I think we were in shock, because in our minds, he was still healthy and acting like a normal five-year-old,” Heather said.

“Of course, our first thought was, ‘Okay, well what do we do?’ And when he said the only answer in modern medicine currently is a transplant, that’s when both of us, I feel, like our hearts sank,” Eric said.

For years, the Gatz family administered medication to Micah at home until earlier this year.

“Things have progressed to the point where he’s sick enough, and he needed to be in the hospital waiting for his transplant to be at that highest priority status to try and get him a heart more quickly,” Dr. Ameduri said.

Living in town, Micah had a day to say goodbye to his classmates and love on his two baby brothers before settling into what would become his new normal.

“It’s hard to have your family split apart and have him being in the hospital,” Heather said.

Micah said some days are harder than others.

“Yeah,” he said. “Usually when I have big numbers coming up in two days, 200 days. It’s just kind of sad.”

His family has taken to calling him Mighty Micah.

He finds strength in his faith. He reads his Bible every day, refusing to let the bad days win.

“He has always taken everything that’s come at him in stride,” Eric said.

“Really just an amazing kid who lights up every time we walk in the room,” Dr. Ameduri said.

As the days go by, Micah is confident that call will come.

“Thank God for what He’s done, and go home, and go to my bedroom, and spending more time outside than I have been here,” Micah said.

He can’t wait to be back with his brothers.

His beads, at that time, will just be reminders all mighty Micah has overcome.

Dr. Ameduri said people like Mighty Micah are waiting on their “Hero Hearts.” She encourages the public to consider registering to be an organ donor. You can learn more here.

Additionally, Dr. Ameduri explained the field of pediatric heart transplant, as a whole, is only about 30-years old. She said she hopes research continues to find other treatments.

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