LAKE ORION, Mich. – A video of a student with Down syndrome returning to school after receiving a new heart has already been viewed more than 14,000 times.
Tyler Kruger had a heart transplant last September and Monday was his first day back at Pine Tree Elementary School in Lake Orion.
"When I saw you today Tyler, it was really exciting and I wanted to cry because I was so happy," a friend said.
After seven months out of school recovering from the transplant surgery, Tyler was excited to be back with his friends and teachers again.
The video shows Tyler running up to Rob McClellen first and giving his favorite teacher and behavior therapist a hug.
After a virus attacked his heart in 2015, Tyler received a heart pump to help pump blood to the rest of his body. In 2018, he needed a heart transplant.
Pine Tree Center in Lake Orion serves special needs students across Oakland County
"When someone tells you you can’t do something you just keep digging and whatever God has in store it’ll happen," Tyler's mother said.