Heart of a Tiger: 7-year-old transplant recipient 'refuses to lose'

AUBURN, Ala. – When you see 7-year-old Davis Boswell playing football with his brother on Samford Lawn or baseball for his team, the Cubs, you’d never know he’s only one week removed from chemotherapy.

“He doesn’t let the medicines or the hospital bring him down,” said Tucker Boswell, Davis’ father. “He’s resilient and he’s grown up with this. He’s a fighter. Tough kid.”

This spring, Davis was diagnosed with PTLD, post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder, nearly seven years after the heart transplant that saved his life as an infant.

“It’s like being struck by lightning twice,” said Amanda Boswell, Davis’ mother. “We’re fighting our second battle, but we refuse to lose. He refuses to lose.

“Davis is full of life. He is like the Energizer bunny. He never stops. Very little slows him down. He’s so silly. He would be the most perfect Aubie.”

“Davis is 100 miles an hour all the time,” Tucker Boswell said. “He does not have a stop button. Constant energy. It’s hard to be around him and not smile and laugh.”

Days after Davis was born in 2015, the Boswells returned to East Alabama Medical Center when a virus began to attack his heart.

“Things escalated pretty quickly,” Tucker said.

Davis flew by air ambulance to Children’s Hospital in Birmingham, where the family learned the devastating news that the virus had irreparably damaged the left side of Davis’ heart.

“He was born with a fighting spirit,” Amanda said. “We never let the odds get us down. We always believed, trusted and knew in our hearts that he was going to pull through.”

Davis’ only hope for survival would be a transplant.  For 115 days, the Boswells waited and prayed while a Berlin Heart kept Davis alive.

At the same time, 420 miles west of Auburn in Monroe, Louisiana, another family suffered its own unspeakable loss.

On Nov. 29, 2015, 6-month-old John Clarke Perry died of an abnormal blood vessel formation in his brain. His parents, Jonathan and Holley Perry, choose to donate their son’s organs, saving the lives of two children, including Davis, who received John Clarke’s heart.

“You want them to feel what you feel,” Amanda said. “You want them to feel that gratitude. There’s nothing I can say or do that can possibly express how thankful I am for the decision they made to donate John Clark’s heart.”

As Davis has grown, his parents have explained the gift he received.

“He knows he got sick when he was a little kid and he had to get a new heart,” Tucker said. “He knows the story and we talk about it openly.”

“Davis knows that John Clarke is in heaven,” Amanda said. “And that when he was a baby, his heart was sick, and John Clarke was sick, and the Perrys gave Davis John Clarke’s heart.”

Beginning in 2016, the Perrys and Boswells reunite each fall when Auburn plays LSU. This Saturday, like always, the Perrys will be decked out in purple and gold, the Boswells in orange and blue.

“When we see them, it’s like no time has passed at all,” Amanda said. “The kids pick up right where they left off.”

“They’ve been a part of this journey with us,” Tucker said.

They’ll watch a spirited SEC West rivalry game, but more importantly, they’ll remember John Clarke and listen to his heart beating strongly and powering an ebullient first grader who presses on in the face of another daunting setback.

When ESPN aired the story of John Clarke Perry and Davis Boswell in 2016, thousands registered to become organ donors.

The Perry and Boswells met for the first time at a Donate Life event at EAMC less than a year after the transplant, forever instilling in both families a passion for advocacy.

“Our hope is that people will hear our story and think about organ donation,” Amanda said. “And look at the legacy their loved ones can have through organ donation. Think about how many lives can be saved through organ donation, and how a sick little boy can play baseball someday, and your loved one can leave a legacy behind for someone else. It’s such a gift.”

A gift that continues to sustain Davis Boswell seven years later. Always on the go, a big fan of the library at his elementary school. An overcomer.

“God is still performing miracles and answering prayers every single day,” Amanda said.

Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: @jeff_shearer