COLUMBUS, Ohio — A Cleveland family who has spent the last seven months at Nationwide Children’s Hospital can finally go home after their 1-year-old boy received a heart transplant.

When Shaun Evans was 6 months old, his parents Rayshaun and Michelle noticed he was getting sick a lot.

After a few trips to the emergency room and several visits to a doctor, they were told Shaun had an enlarged heart and that he was in heart failure.

The family moved into a Ronald McDonald House next to the hospital so Shaun could get the care he needed.

After months of waiting, a heart was found. On June 29, Shaun successfully underwent surgery to receive his new heart. Eleven days after the procedure, Shaun was healthy enough to go home.

Hospital staff lined the hallways of Nationwide Children’s on Tuesday and held a special clap out for the Evans family. 

As dozens of hospital staff gathered around, Rayshaun stopped to give his appreciation to everyone who helped them.

“We want to thank each and every one of you guys for all the efforts and all the time that you put into our baby,” Rayshaun said.

📺 10TV+ is available for free: Stay up to date on what’s happening in your community with a 24/7 live stream and on demand content from 10TV — available on Roku, Amazon Fire TV and Apple TV.

📧 Subscribe to the Wake Up CBUS newsletter featuring the best stories, personally curated by members of our staff and delivered via email by 6 a.m., Monday through Friday.