American Heartmance: Minnesota teenagers return home after heart transplant

Medina, Minnesota – A baseball player from Wayzata High School in Medina returned home after receiving a heart transplant at St. Mary's Hospital at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester.

Carter Anderson received a new heart in November just two days after turning 16.

“We are and we are always grateful to our donors,” said Farren Stan, Carter's mother. “In less than millions of years, I didn't think I needed organs.”

Friends, family, baseball teammates and neighbors gathered at Carter's house Thursday to show their support and welcome him back home.

“I never thought so many people would come here,” Carter said after he got home. He recovered for about three months at the hospital and Ronald McDonald House in Rochester.

Regular examinations in 2021 discovered Carter's genetic heart condition: an unusual form of cardiomyopathy. In May 2022, he underwent surgery to receive an implantable device that tracks his heart rate.

But as an active child who loves baseball, Carter's heart didn't support him. The embedded device was shocked many times. This is a signal that Carter's heart was failing him both on the baseball field.

“He was shocked midway through our fall ball game,” recalls Carter's teammate Thomas Staufenicker. “I saw the ambulance lifted up and didn't really know what was going on.”

Carter said he is now healthier and looks forward to returning to playing baseball in the spring.

Currently, over 4,000 people across the United States are waiting for new hearts. Donate Life America. One organ donor can save up to eight lives.