JD Johnson is Mississippi’s 2025 Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals Champion
Published on Friday, February 7, 2025
By: Annie Oeth, aoeth@umc.edu
Photos By: Melanie Thortis/ UMMC Communications
JD Johnson is a healthy, active 8-year-old boy thanks to a team of Children’s of Mississippi experts. This year, he’ll be sharing his story as the state’s 2025 Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals Champion.
His new role was announced a day before his 9th birthday during a news conference this morning at the Kathy and Joe Sanderson Tower at Children’s of Mississippi.
Every year, 170 local Children's Miracle Network Hospitals choose a Champion in each of their local communities to serve as the face for children treated at their local children's hospital. These ambassadors spend their year advocating for children's hospitals across North America.
JD, a Mize native, travels from Leesburg, Georgia, regularly for Children’s of Mississippi care from disciplines including cardiology, surgery, asthma and allergy, dermatology, ophthalmology and otolaryngology.
“We’re proud to have cared for JD since before he was born,” said Dr. Guy Giesecke, Children’s of Mississippi CEO. “He’s been a champion his whole life, and we think he will be a great representative for Children’s of Mississippi.”
JD said he counts on faith, family and friends for support and enjoys school, church and sports.
“I get my strength from my parents, sisters, family and friends, but most importantly, God,” he said.
Dr. Jennifer Shores, professor of fetal cardiology at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, first “met" JD when his mother April was about 27 weeks pregnant and a patient at the Center for Maternal and Fetal Care at Wiser Hospital for Women and Infants on the UMMC campus.
April Johnson had awakened on a Sunday at home in Mize with a suspicion that something didn’t feel right. A labor and delivery and well-baby nurse, she had a fetal Doppler at home and put it on her belly to listen.
What she heard was different from the normal, rhythmic beat from her doctor’s appointment the prior week. Her local hospital sent her to the Center for Maternal and Fetal Care, where a multidisciplinary care team from UMMC and Children’s of Mississippi discussed possible diagnoses with her and husband Jay.
The next day, Dr. James Bofill, professor of obstetrics and gynecology, had answers. The Johnsons’ unborn baby had 26 congenital heart defects and heterotaxy syndrome, a rare birth defect involving the heart and other organs.
After hours of ultrasound scans, Shores talked with the Johnsons.
“She said, ‘I’m going to explain this the best that I can, and then I’m going to tell you how we’re going to fix it. I'm going to be with you every step of the way,’” April Johnson said. “And she absolutely has been. She was very comforting and has a heart of gold.”
To prepare for JD’s birth, the family relocated to Ronald McDonald House on the UMMC campus at 36 weeks to be nearby for daily monitoring. “If something happened, they wanted me to be right there,” she said.
An electrocardiogram on JD shortly after his birth confrimed heart defects, a complete heart block and heterotaxy syndrome. At a week old, JD had his first surgery, a six-hour operation that included placing a pacemaker.
His second surgery, at almost 6 months, lasted 10 hours. He’s also had three heart catheterizations, ear tube surgery, an appendectomy and a Ladd procedure to correct malrotation of his intestines, part of heterotaxy syndrome.
Two other surgeries were performed at Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital in Houston.
Doctors and nurses at Children’s of Mississippi cared for JD “just as if he was their own child,” she said.
Through all his procedures, JD has been “a trouper,” Shores said. “He never lets anything slow him down. He never complains and just keeps going, no matter what.”
As the state’s Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals Champion, JD will share his story of having congenital heart disease, which occurs in about 1 in 100 births, and heterotaxy syndrome, which happens in 1 out of every 100,000 births.
“He is proud of his heart history and of the fact that he has overcome it,” she said. “He is in all ways a normal little boy who is active in school, plays baseball and loves his family and friends. He has a great attitude about his heart defect and his life.”
JD is a younger brother to sister Natalee, 11, and older brother to Bella, 6, and Julianna, 3.
He’s also supported Children’s of Mississippi by serving as a patient ambassador and sharing his story during Mississippi Miracles Radiothon.
Children’s of Mississippi care is letting JD live a full, healthy life, April Johnson said. “He loves going to ‘his hospital,’ as he calls it. He feels safe and comfortable there. He loves telling his story about how much time he has spent at his hospital. We are so very proud of him and are forever grateful for all Children’s of Mississippi has done and continues to do for JD and our family.”