Jace Connor is only 4 years old, but he has already spent much of his young life inside a hospital room. The Marietta, Georgia boy was diagnosed with left ventricular non-compact cardiomyopathy — a serious heart condition that prevents his heart from pumping properly.
Jace has been on the heart transplant list since 2023, waiting for a donor heart small enough to match his tiny chest.
One Thing That Never Left His Side
Through every hospital stay and every hard day, one thing always made Jace smile — Toy Story.
“The first one we watched, he wanted to watch it over and over and over,” said his father, Jamar Connor.
When Jace heard Toy Story 5 was coming out, he was heartbroken thinking his treatment at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta’s Arthur M. Blank Hospital would keep him from seeing it.
Doctors Made an Exception
His parents, working closely with his medical team, arranged a special surprise. With doctors’ approval, Jace was temporarily sent home so he could put on his Woody costume and head to the movies — alongside his best friend, Lily.
The Reality Behind the Smile
To look at Jace, you would never know how serious things are.
“A little confusing sometimes because he looks and acts just like a normal four-year-old,” his father said. “On the outside you would never be able to tell.”
But doctors say even a common cold could cause life-threatening complications. Finding the right donor heart for a child this young is a race against time.
“The danger is that sometimes time is not on our side,” said Dr. Chad Mao, heart transplant director at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.
Waiting, Day by Day
His mother, Katie Soto, says the family is taking it one day at a time.
“We’re just waiting for the perfect match and keeping him stable. Day by day,” she said.
When asked what he wants to do first after getting a new heart, Jace had a simple answer.
“Run and jump.”
‘There Is Hope’
For now, small moments — like watching Woody and Buzz on the big screen in his costume — mean everything to this little boy and his family.
“There is hope,” his father said. “There’s a lot of hope.”
