Have Heart, Will Travel

By all accounts, Jordan Marcia shouldn’t even be alive. Born with a rare, congenital heart condition, he underwent multiple surgeries and spent most of his early years of life in the hospital.

At the age of three, he also contracted a rare lung disorder, which meant even more time in the hospital dealing with invasive procedures. Jordan’s 13th surgery was a heart transplant. Three years ago, when Jordan saw a YouTube video of someone who was traveling around the world, he didn’t just think about it, or plan for ‘sometime’ in the future. He came up with a plan, convinced his mom and his medical team at the Heart Transplant Clinic at St. Paul’s Hospital, and then got on an airplane. Jordan has been to 12 countries so far, including Thailand, Myanmar, India and Sri Lanka.

He will be celebrating 22 years with his gift of life soon, hopefully at his next destination, the Philippines.

See Jordan’s story in action