New York Islanders Daily: Young Fan’s Medical Miracle

Six-year-old and New York Islanders fan Jack Foley astounded doctors when he completed his first triathlon. He was born with just half a heart.

This one isn’t exactly a hard hitting New York Islanders story. Nobody got fired, or traded, or signed a contract extension. Instead, today, we will take a look at the amazing story of a six-year old Islander fan who just completed a triathlon despite intense medical issues.

Hockey is a sport for tough athletes and you’d be hard pressed to find someone tougher than this Islander fan. Jack Foley has hypoplastic left heart syndrome, meaning he only has a right side of his heart. It’s a rare birth defect that affects less than 1,000 babies per year.

Before the age of three, Jack had three open heart surgeries. By his third surgery at age two and a half his body was getting the properly oxidized blood and Jack was doing better. Now, according to Daily Mail, he takes a diuretic and a baby aspirin every day, but that’s it.

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Doctors said that he might have less energy than other kids, but that couldn’t be further from the case. He’s a big time hockey player and a fan of the New York Islanders, just like us.

On June 17, he completed the Long Beach Children’s Triathlon. He swam for 25-yards, rode his bike for 475 feet and ran 500 feet around the baseball field. It took him the same amount of time an average six-year-old would take with a triathlon, except he did it all with just half a heart.

Although he literally physically lacks heart, he certainly doesn’t lack it metaphorically. Keep being an inspiration buddy! Again if you want to read the full story you can check it out here.

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