take care of yourself

Johnson was born in September 2006 with a congenital heart defect called tricuspid atresia. At five days old, Qua had the first of a series of open-heart surgeries that are customary for this diagnosis.

He played a variety of sports throughout childhood, but when Qua reached middle school, mom Marquitta noticed her son just wasn’t himself. “He is my child, and I knew something was wrong.”

In March 2021, visits to his hometown pediatrician, emergency departments and cardiologists provided some clues. His heart wasn’t pumping well. The medications weren’t helping. The doctors requested that Qua be transported to Children’s of Alabama for evaluation and treatment.

Qua joined the transplant list in April 2021. While many patients wait months or even years for a new heart, Qua’s critical condition helped the team at Children’s of Alabama find a heart for him less than two weeks later.

“I don’t know what the good Lord has in store for him, but I know it’s something,” Marquitta said.