People who enjoy the Western way of life often talk about heart. Great horses, bulls, cowboys and cowgirls are described as having a lot of heart.

It’s hard to sum up in words exactly what that means, but for Garrett R., Western Wishes recipient, having a lot of heart is physical, spiritual and mental. The nine-year-old from Colorado epitomizes what it means to have a lot of heart.

Garrett was was put on the heart transplant list before he was born after an ultrasound found that he had Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome. The anticipation of being new parents for J.D. and Kathy was now joined by fear for their unborn child, then their new born. Doctors told them he would need a new heart by the time he was six months old. That day arrived without a new heart. With extreme measures from medical staff and lots of prayers, a new heart became available when Garrett was seven and a half months old.

That heart took hold and gave the family much hope. At the same time that they were praying for their future, they were remembering the Texas family that had lost their daughter whose heart was now beating in Colorado.

The heart and Garrett grew for eight years. He competed in youth rodeos and was a standout in baseball. Then the unthinkable happened. He started having chest pain and another trip to Children’s Hospital in Denver showed that his heart was dying. He went back on the donors list and in another answer to prayer, a new heart was available almost immediately.

Garrett is now living for the future with heart. Physically, this is his third. He has had 22 surgeries to date. Life is still far from normal for this active cowboy who has to take anti-rejection medicine and be careful about being exposed to anything that could cause an infection. He faces every day with a smile, courage, desire and determination—heart.

Western Wishes hosted Garrett at the National Western Stock Show in Denver last January. He later told his dad, J.D., that it was “the best weekend of his life.” His two days at the rodeo started on the final weekend with gold buckle seats right on the arena floor. It was the final night of the free-style bull fight, so he got to watch bullfighters that he had met earlier up close and personal.

Garrett got to meet many of his cowboy heroes in the contestant hospitality area the next day. His signature smile was very genuine when Kevin Pitts, from Burleson, Texas, gave him the trophy buckle that he had won with the bullfighting championship the night before. A shopping spree saw him getting new cowboy gear and with a gift certificate from the National Western he got plenty of souvenirs. The family finished the trip with a surprise from sponsors Cowboy Living. Mom Kathy was thrilled with all of the new dishes and couldn’t wait to get home and start unpacking.

Little sister Jessi got in on the action when she got to sit up on one of Priefert’s Percheron horses that had performed in the arena. While spending time with the cowboys and going to the rodeo was Garrett’s wish, it was the smiles and enjoyment of the whole family that inspired everyone that they met.

“Meeting Garrett was a highlight of the rodeo for me,” Pitts said. “He was awesome and his family was great. After I heard his story, I told myself that if I won the buckle, it was going to Garrett.”

At Western Wishes we know one thing — if there was an award for the cowboy with the most heart, it would go to Garrett R. hands down.

Special thanks to award winning writer, Susan Kanode for contributing this story and the photos.

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