My brother, John Center, was born with a rare congenital heart defect and had open-heart surgery at just 9 months old at MUSC in Charleston. Even then, doctors told our family he would likely need another major heart surgery later in life. Despite his condition, John became an Eagle Scout, earned his Business degree from Clemson University, and most importantly, became a devoted single father to his 11-year-old son, Cooper—his greatest joy.

Over time, John’s congenital heart disease progressed into severe right heart failure. He recently underwent an 11-hour open-heart surgery at MUSC Shawn Jenkins Children’s Hospital in Charleston to reconstruct and replace both his aortic and mitral valves, enlarge his heart’s outflow tract, and widen his aorta—a rare and extremely complex procedure in adults with congenital heart disease. The surgery saved his life, but recovery has been far more difficult than expected. Surgeons later explained his heart was much sicker than imaging showed. Since surgery, John has faced repeated complications, including right-sided heart failure, fluid overload, kidney and electrolyte instability, and dangerous heart rhythm problems. He has been hospitalized since February 2nd and has just been transferred back to the cardiac ICU at MUSC because the right side of his heart is still struggling to recover. Doctors believe this is still part of healing from how severe his heart disease truly was before surgery, but his road forward remains long.

John will require prolonged hospitalization, lifelong cardiac medications and monitoring, and significant time away from work. The medical and financial strain has been overwhelming. Through everything, John’s focus remains getting home to his son and rebuilding his life after this fight. If you feel led, any support—prayers, donations, or sharing—means more than we can express. Your kindness is helping carry him through the hardest battle of his life. Thank you for surrounding John with love. Love from the family.