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After 111 Days Of Waiting, Good News Comes For Baby Heart Patient

(CBS) – A Chicago area baby who had been waiting more than 100 days for a desperately needed heart underwent transplant surgery Monday at Lurie Children's Hospital.

CBS 2's Brad Edwards has a follow-up report to the story of little Ava Martin.

Parents Amy and Brian Martin will never have a bigger day.

"The heart arrived at 4:30," Amy told waiting family at the hospital.

Only hours before, Amy called Brian and told him the news.

"I thought the worst," the father says.

But it was the best.

"I just started screaming,'We got a heart, we got a heart, today's the day,'" he said.

Little Ava suffers from a rare condition that rendered the left side of her heart severely underdeveloped. She was put on a waiting list 111 days ago. The paradox for her parents was this: In order for Ava to survive, another family would endure a tragedy.

A Facebook page offered updates on Ava's progress.

In the operating room Monday, the doctor placed the heart in Ava and said:

"Welcome to your new home."

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