A 2-month-old boy being treated in North Carolina was recovering from surgery Tuesday, more than a week after his need for a heart transplant received national attention when Facebook rejected a post by the boy’s parents about his condition.
Hudson Bond received a heart transplant Monday, according to the Facebook page Hudson’s Heart, which has documented his journey and asked for donations to pay for medical costs.
“He’s a brave little boy, with a brave new heart, from a brave family suffering an unspeakable loss,” the Facebook page stated Monday.
Hudson was born July 18 and was diagnosed shortly after his birth with cardiomyopathy, a heart condition that doctors said would require he get a new heart to survive.
He was being treated at Duke University’s Pediatric Cardio Intensive Care Unit, where he had received an artificial heart to help keep him alive until he could get the needed transplant, CNN reported Sept. 11.
Hudson’s family was told Sunday doctors had found their son a heart, and he received surgery the following morning.
“Hudson is doing very well … Last night I really slept for the first time in two months. My heart made whole by that precious little gift beating strong in Hudson’s chest,” the boy’s family posted Tuesday morning. “Thank you will never be enough for all you’ve done to support Hudson. He’s got a long way to go, but we can honestly say we would have never gotten this far without you all.”
Hudson’s story received national attention in early September after Facebook rejected an advertisement for the Hudson’s Heart page because it showed an image of the boy which was deemed “scary, gory, or sensational.”
The boy’s father, Kevin Bond, posted the full response to the Facebook.
It read in part, “Your ad wasn’t approved because the image or video thumbnail is scary, gory, or sensational and evokes a negative response. Images including accidents, car crashes, dead and dismembered bodies, ghosts, zombies, ghouls, and vampires are not allowed.”
Bond told CNN the message was hurtful.
“I was really hurt, actually. I kind of cried. I mean, that’s my son. I love him. And to have someone reject a picture to me just, it’s my beautiful son lying in a hospital bed needing help. That really cut me,” he said. “We love our son, we just want to share his story, raise awareness for kids like him.”
Facebook officials later apologized for refusing to run the ad saying an automated system accidentally flagged the photo. The company offered to family $10,000 worth of Facebook ads to make amends.
A GoFundMe page has been created for Hudson, and raised over $16,000 by Tuesday. Its stated goal was $100,000.
