TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) — Quan Howard's mother, Chantel Livingston, describes her son as a normal kid.
"Quan is an exceptional student in school, he loves to go to the movies, he loves swimming"
At least, that was until March 19 of 2022.
She said she saw Quan laying on the living room floor that Saturday morning, which isn't out of the ordinary, she thought he was sleeping. When she tried to wake him up, he wasn't budging.
Chantel called 911. When EMS arrived, they confirmed what was already running through her mind.
"They said yeah he definitely had a massive stroke," said Chantel. "He was gone for four minutes. It was the worst moment of my life."
Doctors eventually were able to revive him.
A few days later, Quan was air lifted to Shands Children's Hospital in Gainesville for treatment.
Chantel said her son was diagnosed with LV non compaction syndrome, or when the left ventricle of the heart doesn't develop correctly, making it difficult for the heart to help pump blood.
He's had the condition since birth.
Quan used to play high school football. He took some time off to focus on her studies, his mom says he wants to be an engineer when he grows up. However, despite his athletic ability, and his overall ability to play football, his mom says she's not going to wish that things were the way they were before he got sick.
"You got to focus on who you are today and make a better you today instead of who you were, because who he was was sick. He was sick for 17 years," said Chantel.
Now, Quan is on the list for a new heart. He and his family are being told he could get it in about two to four months. He'll have to go back to Gainesville for that operation.
Quan is thankful for all the love and prayers he's been receiving over the past five months.
"Thank you for praying for me, and thank you for everything," said Quan.
Quan has a Gofundme set up for his recovery. If you would like to donate, click here.
