Young Motts Children's Hospital heart patient shares story of beating the odds

Mott Children's Hospital patient beats the odds despite rare heart condition

Photos tell Maverick Salazar's story of resilience. Along the way, his love of pro wrestling has led to another support system.

FOX 2 - At 18 years old, Maverick Salazar is living his dream.

Through his popular "Outside the Ring" podcast, he’s interviewed pro wrestlers from Metro Detroit and mat icons — like Matt and Jeff Hardy.

"I’ve also had the honor to interview some people who have worked for the WWE," Salazar said.

But his dream almost didn’t come true.

"My parents were told that I may not make it to see my third birthday. I’d be lucky enough to see five years old," he said.

Salazar was born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome — or HLHS. The CDC says it occurs in roughly one in every 4,000 babies.

A rare condition, where only the right side of his heart developed. Simply put — Salazar was born with half a heart.

During his young life, he’s had five open-heart surgeries — including three as a baby. His most recent operation happened in October.

Salazar says complications arose when doctors worked to replace his pacemaker. Then, a week before Christmas, he needed a chest tube installed to remove fluid.

"I was able to go home and spend Christmas with my family," he said. "I’ve been seen monthly and just found out the fluid has almost completely disappeared."

Salazar has documented his journey, which includes frequent trips from his home in Ohio to Mott Children's Hospital at the University of Michigan’s campus.

Photos tell his story of resilience. Along the way, his love of pro wrestling has led to another support system.

He’s built friendships through the Metro Detroit Federation — Superior Championship Wrestling.

"Mr. Glenn Burger, and I’ve met the wrestlers as well," he said. "They’ve all done some pretty nice things for me. I’ve been able to just stay in contact with them.

"Not everyone goes through what I have gone through in life, but there may be similar challenges even if it’s not like surgery or what not."

Maverick Salazar will graduate from high school this spring. He plans to study digital media in college.

While he can’t wrestle, he hopes to become a referee.

If you would like to check out Maverick's wrestling podcast, click here.

The Source: Information for this story came from Mott Childrens Hospital in Ann Arbor and from Maverick Salazar.