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Latest media coverage of Joseph's story May 1, 2007 ABC World News April 27, 2007, MUSC The Catalyst Go to page 6 of the paper April 24, USA Today April 18, 2007 WCIV Channel 4 Tale of Two Hearts Wednesday April 18, 2007 7:01pm Reporter: Patrice Smith Posted By: Matt Megrue
Charleston, SC - Two little boys each with brand new hearts are making great strides thanks to some amazing doctors.
Jo-Jo Greenwood is surrounded by all the presents that he received Wednesday for his 6th birthday. He's in the pediatric cardiac intensive care unit at the musc children's hospital...recovering from a heart transplant. He underwent the surgery last Friday and his mother, Angela greenwood, says he came through with flying colors.
"When Stephen and I came to see him for the first time it was around 9:30 that morning and he was already talking over his breathing tube."
Doctor Andy Atz, Jo-Jo's pediatric cardiologist, says Jo-Jo's new heart is beating strong.
"Things are going as we expected and everyday is a little bit better."
JoJo's heart began to weaken last summer after he caught a virus. Earlier this month he was given the Berlin heart pump that kept him alive until a donor heart became available.
He could be discharged in a few weeks.
And two rooms down the hall is heart transplant patient 11 month old Tillman Chesney. We brought you his story in February. He was born with a heart defect. Dr. Atz is also pleased with his progress.
"The opportunity potentially to really be thinking about not if he's going home but when the actual days gonna be is a position a number of us never thought we'd be in."
The pediatric cardiologist here at MUSC'S children's hospital are doing an increasing number of heart transplants. They've done as many as 10 in the past 18 months. Dr. ATz explains why.
"Part of the reason we're doing more is that we're..with our experience now we are allowing children with really difficult baseline heart situations to be considered for a transplant."
Both boys are expected to fully recover and lead normal lives.
April 16, 2007 Nicole Boone News 13 Florence, SC Joseph "JoJo" Greenwood of Florence gets a new heart
I have an update on little Joseph "JoJo" Greenwood of Florence. He’s the five year old who made history April 6th, when he received a Berlin Heart. Today, I spoke with a family friend, who tells me Joseph received a donor heart this past Friday. Joseph is doing well at MUSC in Charleston. He’ll be in the hospital a while. He’ll remain in the area for observation once released.
You may remember Joseph was the first child in the state to receive a Berlin heart. A procedure that required special approval by the FDA. A Berlin heart is an artificial heart that gave him more time until he received his donor heart. Joseph’s heart was damaged after he caught a virus. Now, Joseph has his second chance at life.
If you'd like to help the Greenwood's with their medical expenses, then mail your donations to “The Joseph "JoJo" Greenwood Medical Trust”. It’s set up with Cornerstone Baptist Church. The address is 2930 Master's Way, Darlington, South Carolina, 29532. Also, a chicken bog benefit is scheduled for Saturday, April 21 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Briggs Elementary School in Florence to help raise money to offset “JoJo’s” medical expenses. And for more details on the fundraising efforts and “JoJo’s” progress, just go to http://helpjojo.com/default.aspx.
April 14, 2007 Florence boy, 5, gets heartfelt birthday gift
BY JESSICA JOHNSON The Post and Courier
A well-wisher following the story of a Florence boy who needed a new heart hoped the MUSC patient would receive one for his birthday on April 18th.
That gift for Joseph Greenwood, 5, came at 3 a.m. Friday. Friends and family, including his aunt, Phyllis Walterhouse of Mount Pleasant, stood by as Joseph underwent hours of surgery.
"He got an early birthday present," Walterhouse said. "That's what we've been saying."
Joseph, son of Angela and Stephen Greenwood, made medical history last week when he became the first child in the South Carolina to receive a Berlin Heart ventricular assist device. Medical University of South Carolina doctors implanted the external heart pumps April 4. Joseph suffered from a rare weakening of the heart muscles, which caused an enlarged heart. The device, awaiting approval from the Food and Drug Administration, doubled Joseph's chances of survival. By Thursday, he was up and walking.
"He looked better than he had been in a long time," Walterhouse said.
Family and friends never suspected that a donor heart would be available so soon. "We are shocked," Angela Greenwood said, "but we are very happy."
Greenwood said Joseph is doing so well that doctors removed his breathing tube less than seven hours after surgery. Once Joseph is released from Medical University Hospital, he and his mom will need a temporary home in the area. Joseph will need daily checkups for up to three months.
"Angela and Stephen and our family have received beautiful e-mails and heartfelt messages," Walterhouse said. "That has meant so much to our entire family. We are very grateful and warmed by the love and support we received from this community as well as across the nation."
******************************************************************************************************************** Posted on Sun, Apr. 08, 2007 Device to keep boy alive as he awaits donor heart
A 5-year-old S.C. boy has been given a device that doctors say will keep him alive until a donor heart can be found.
Joseph “JoJo” Greenwood, his mother’s “angel boy,” received a Berlin Heart pediatric ventricular assist device during a 10-hour surgery Wednesday. He is the first child in the state to receive the device that hasn’t been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration but can be used in extreme situations in which a patient has no alternatives.
“Just when it seems like we are out of options, they pull a miracle out of their pockets,” said JoJo’s mother, Angela Greenwood of Florence.
The device, which is mostly outside the body, assists the heart’s right ventricle to channel blood to the lungs while the left ventricle is aided in pumping blood throughout the body. The Berlin Heart device has an 80 percent survival rate. Within the United States, children have lived with the device implanted up to 264 days. Posted on Sat, Apr. 07, 2007 Boy gets life-saving device
Joseph Greenwood has been given the device that doctors say will keep him alive until a donor heart can be found.
Little 5-year-old JoJo, his mother's "angel boy," received a Berlin Heart pediatric ventricular assist device during a 10-hour surgery Wednesday. He is the first child in the state to receive the device that hasn't been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration but can be used in extreme situations in which a patient has no alternatives.
"Just when it seems like we are out of options, they pull a miracle out of their pockets," JoJo's mother, Angela Greenwood, of Florence said.
The device, which is mostly outside the body, assists the heart's right ventricle to channel blood to the lungs while the left ventricle is aided in pumping blood throughout the body.
The Berlin Heart device has an 80 percent survival rate. Within the United States, children have lived with the device implanted up to 264 days.
Dr. Tain Yen Hsia, Joseph's attending cardiac surgeon, said that time will allow doctors to find a heart for Joseph.
Since the surgery, Joseph has been allowed to wake up and he will become mobile, though the pumps are hooked to a console about the size of a small filing cabinet. "This has really given me hope," his mother said.
Joseph might be able to leave the hospital before receiving a transplant, but he will spend his 6th birthday - April 18th - at the hospital.
Family and friends have worked hard to raise money for JoJo's long-term medical care, which could reach the hundreds of thousands of dollars. Some of that support is coming from the H.B. Robinson Nuclear Plant in Hartsville where his father, Stephen Greenwood, has worked for the past 18 months.
**************************************************************************************************************************** April 7th: The Post and Courier: http://www.charleston.net/assets/webPages/departmental/news/LocalNews.aspx SATURDAY, APRIL 07, 2007 7:49 AM 'Miracle' device helps buy more time for a little boy Patient awaiting new heart first in S.C. to get pumps
BY JESSICA JOHNSON The Post and Courier
Before Wednesday, a 5-year-old heart patient lay motionless at Medical University Hospital, hooked up to a machine that bypassed his heart and lungs.
Joseph Greenwood of Florence was sedated and medically paralyzed.
The boy with curls, rosy cheeks and blue eyes beams from a photograph taken in better times. His personality bubbles out from a picture, said his mother, Angela Greenwood, of Florence, who calls her son "my angel boy."
"So you can imagine how hard it's been," Greenwood said.
On March 25, Joseph's ailing heart failed and he collapsed on his porch. His father, Stephen, and an internal defibrillator kept Joseph alive until doctors could take over.
This week a team of MUSC clinicians doubled his odds of living and made medical history.
During a 10-hour surgery, doctors successfully implanted Joseph with a Berlin Heart pediatric ventricular assist device. Joseph is the first child in the state to receive one.
The Excor Pediatric implant has dual external pumps that drain the heart of its blood and then pump it back to the lungs and body.
The device is awaiting approval by the Food and Drug Administration, though it has been used widely in Europe.
Hospital staff applied for a compassionate waiver available to patients with no other alternative.
"Just when it seems like we are out of options, they pull a miracle out of their pockets," Greenwood said.
A year ago Joseph came down with the flu. His fever lasted nine days, and when his body attacked the virus, it silently attacked his heart as well.
Last summer, Joseph collapsed on Folly Beach and his parents rushed him to Medical University Hospital, where doctors found irregular heart rhythms. His heart continued to deteriorate and, in August, MUSC doctors had to implant a defibrillator.
Greenwood thought her son was recovering, but in March he began feeling ill, said his aunt Phyllis Walterhouse of Mount Pleasant.
MUSC staff said Joseph was the perfect patient for the groundbreaking device.
Dr. Tain Yen Hsia, Joseph's attending cardiac surgeon, learned of the Berlin device before he arrived at Medical University Hospital nine months ago. He found the hospital had the team necessary to implant it.
"You can't go to just any hospital and do this. People would die," Hsia said.
After evaluating Joseph's case, Hsia told the family that life is like playing a game of poker.
"Sometimes the cards you are dealt are fine," Hsia said. "and sometimes you are dealt a bad hand."
Joseph's heart has expanded like a balloon, taking up two-thirds of his chest.
It's not a question of whether Joseph needs a transplant, but when. The Greenwoods made the decision to become trailblazers and allow Joseph to receive the unapproved device, Hsia said.
On the bypass machine, Joseph had a 40 percent chance of recovery. Most kids have to wait months to get a new heart, and that's longer than the bypass machine can keep children alive.
The Berlin Heart device has an 80 percent survival rate. Within the United States, children have lived with the device implanted up to 264 days.
Hsia said that time will allow doctors to find a perfect heart for Joseph.
Greenwood said she has always selected the organ donation option on her driver's license. "I never imagined I would be on the receiving end, hoping for an organ donation for my child," she said.
Since the surgery, Joseph has been allowed to wake up, and he will become mobile eventually, though the pumps are hooked to a console about the size of a small filing cabinet.
"This has really given me hope," Greenwood said.
Joseph might be able to leave Medical University Hospital before receiving a transplant, but he will spend his April 18th birthday at the hospital.
Family, friends and strangers have been keeping tabs on Joseph's story by checking a Web site maintained by family friend Amy Hinkel of Charleston. Hinkel said people look at Joseph's picture and are drawn in.
"He is just like he looks, he is pure angel," Hinkel said. "There is a reason God has chosen him to go through this."
In the past eight days, more than 25,000 unique users have looked at the site, touched by his story.
"It's a perfect time of year to be happening," Hinkel said. "It has renewed faith for a lot of people."
***************************************************************************************************************************** A five year old boy from Florence made history in South Carolina this week. He is the first child in the state to receive a Berlin Heart. Wednesday, a team of German doctors performed the surgery at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston. A surgery that needed special approval by the FDA. Tonight, his family is thankful, little Joseph "JoJo" Greenwood, now has a second chance at life.
Angela Greenwood of Florence kissed her precious little boy Joseph, known to most as "JoJo", just before he went into surgery. “When they brought him in here on Saturday, we weren't really sure if he was going to make it through the night.” Other family members held his tiny hand. They prayed that God would watch over him during a very complicated procedure.
On Wednesday, surgeons spent hours in the operating room at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston giving five year old Joseph Greenwood a second chance at life. They placed an artificial heart in his body. It's called the Berlin Heart Pump. It's not a cure, but gives Joseph more time while he waits on a donor heart. "Now that he has the Berlin Heart Pump, we feel like he's going to do a lot better until he waits to have his heart transplant." Dr. T.Y. Shia was Joseph’s surgeon. "Joseph has a heart that is twice the size of a normal adult." The surgery involves many procedures. But basically, once the Berlin heart is installed, two pumps appropriately channel the blood through “JoJo’s” body . "In essence these two pumps take over the normal function of the heart."
How Joseph’s heart was damaged will surprise you. It all started with a virus in March of 2006. Angela says, "He caught a virus. There was nothing more than a fever. It was just shocking. I didn't even know something like that could happen." Doctors later discovered his heart was enlarged with little function. He underwent surgery for a pace maker. A short time passed where all was well. Then the situation turned grim. He was rushed to the MUSC where he was placed on a temporary heart and lung bypass machine. And then Wednesday, he got the Berlin heart. "So, this is going to give us more time until we can find the perfect heart for Joseph."
Now his mom is anxious for her son, who is loved by so many, to return to a normal life. "He's got a great sense of humor, he's very outgoing, very social, so I’m really excited about the day he'll be able to show off his personality again." She also waits for Joseph to have the chance to live a full and happy life with a family who loves him dearly.
Something else amazing about Joseph’s story is that his father, Stephen, who learned CPR, was able to save Joseph’s life when he collapsed last week at their home.
As you'd expect, the Greenwood's medical expenses are enormous. The Joseph "JoJo" Greenwood Medical Trust is set up with Cornerstone Baptist Church, Medical Trust Account for Joseph Elliott Greenwood. You may mail donations to Cornerstone Baptist Church, 2930 Master's Way, in Darlington, South Carolina, 29532.
Also, a chicken bog benefit is scheduled from Thursday, April 19 from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. at Briggs Elementary School in Florence to help raise money to offset “JoJo's” medical expenses. And for more information on “JoJo” go to www.helpjojo.com/default.aspx ************************************************************************************************************************************ Friday, Apr 06, 2007 - 11:02 PM Jim Newman Reporter Community raising funds to help with medical bills incurred by 'JoJo'
The wavy, light brown hair and red cheeks highlight an innocent little face defined by a radiant smile that makes you smile back. That’s the sight that greets you when you log onto the Web site dedicated to 5-year-old Joseph “JoJo” Greenwood of Florence.
Further scrutiny will reveal that this seemingly healthy boy is recovering from a complex cardiac procedure recently performed at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston.
On Wednesday, surgeons placed what is known as the Berlin Heart pump, most of which actually remains outside the body, into JoJo’s body.
The device works by assisting the heart’s right ventricle to channel blood to the lungs while the left ventricle is aided in pumping blood throughout the body.
JoJo’s heart was damaged from a virus he contracted in March 2006 that resulted in a condition known as dilated cardiomyopathy, which weakened the heart muscles. In August, he was admitted to MUSC, where doctors implanted an internal defibrillator.
The device helped save his life just a couple weeks ago when it activated after he collapsed on the porch at his home. His father, Stephen, also performed CPR.
JoJo was airlifted to MUSC, where he was placed on a heart-lung bypass machine because his heart could no longer function on its own. The 5-year-old also was placed on a heart transplant list.
On Wednesday, JoJo became the first child in South Carolina to receive the Berlin Heart, which is designed to keep him alive until the real thing becomes available.
JoJo is getting plenty of help from friends and family, who have banded together to help raise funds for long-term medical care that could amount to $500,000.
Some of that support is coming from his father’s co-workers at the H.B. Robinson Nuclear Plant in Hartsville. Stephen has worked at the plant for the past year-and-a-half as the facility’s material acquisition supervisor.
Keith Jensen, superintendent of Robinson materials and contract services, said the plant’s employees have rallied together to help raise money for JoJo.
One of these efforts is the Joseph Jar campaign.
“What we’ve done is put out collection jars in certain areas of the plant,” he said. “There’s one department, a group called Mechanical Maintenance, that in and of their own, raised a substantial sum of money.
“The touching thing about that is some of these folks probably don’t even know Stephen, but that didn’t stop them from handing me an envelope with $2,100 in it.”
The money was placed in the medical trust fund that has been established with Cornerstone Baptist Church in Darlington.
“We have a very tight-knit organization, and a lot of people have really risen up to the challenge,” Jensen said.
Also rising to the tremendous challenge facing their son are the Greenwoods themselves, he said.
“Angela and Stephen are people of extremely strong faith, and they have looked to see the good in this,” Jensen said. “They’ve been not only buoyed up by their faith, but also their friends, who are supporting and praying for them.”
The latest information posted on JoJo’s progress Thursday shows that he is doing well and that both his parents were able to spend time with him throughout the morning.
For more information on how to help, visit http://help jojo.com/ on the Internet.
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How To Help Young Heart Patient
A 5-year-old South Carolina boy is making history right now as the first in the state to receive a life-saving heart pump. For more on how you can help Joseph Greenwood check out this link - http://helpjojo.com.
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