Doctors at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia pioneered a new surgical intervention that allowed a toddler to temporarily survive without a heart.

The child’s heart was failing fast, and traditional treatments weren’t working. That’s when the desperate family turned to CHOP, where the team created a first-of-its-kind intervention.

Michael Webb lived 9 months without a heart.

Dr. Katsuhide Maeda said the dramatic intervention was the only way to save his life.

“We take out his entire heart,” Maeda said.

Michael Webb was born in Virginia with a very complex heart disease.

“Very scary. I didn’t know what to expect,” said mom Ashley Webb.

Everything had failed when the Webb family ended up at CHOP.

“CHOP’s willing to do what they have to do to save lives, and that’s why we’re here,” said dad Rick Webb.

Michael Webb needed a heart transplant to survive, but he could not be stabilized with traditional surgical options. So the CHOP team devised an innovative way to replace his failing heart with a combination of mechanical devices.

“I knew that this was really high risk, and also, be honest, I was not sure this really works, but I believe that this works,” said Maeda. “So that is why we try.”

“They explained the odds, and it was 50-50,” said Rick Webb. “We jumped on it because 50% chance was better than the zero we had.”

“We were terrified but also hopeful that it would work and he would get to transplant,” said Ashley Webb.

A donor heart was found in December.

“It was a Christmas miracle,” said Ashley Webb.

The heart transplant surgery was a success, worthy of a send-off party, as the family left the hospital.

“I always tell them, I appreciate you saving my son’s life. It’s amazing,” said Ashley Webb.

Now, the two-year-old comes back for checkups.

“He’s doing good. He wants to get down and play,” said Ashley Webb.

“It’s remarkable. I’m so glad that this worked,” said Maeda.

It was a risky experiment that doctors said now offers new hope for others.

Parents Ashley and Rick Webb said they are especially grateful to CHOP. Five other hospitals said they couldn’t help.