CINCINNATI, Ohio– It’s a simple gesture. Giving a Valentine’s Day card.

But to a child in the hospital, it’s a way to make their day just a little bit sweeter. 

And for 13-year-old Hope Weaver, the message of receiving a heart is very symbolic.

“What she has is called myocarditis,” Stephanie Weaver said. “A virus attacked her heart.” 

Last year when Hope was playing softball, she noticed it hurt to breathe. She was diagnosed a few months later and was ultimately told she needed a heart transplant. Her mom said it was the scariest moment of their lives.

“You have this healthy kid for 12 or 13 years, then you’re just tossed into this situation,” Stephanie said.

Hope had to spend Christmas and New Year’s in the hospital, having to wait 16 days before they received word on a donor match. 

Hope’s surgery was successful, and now she’s recovering in the hospital, as another holiday passes. 

But an outpouring of support for kids in the hospital has helped make things easier. 

More than 375,000 people have sent e-Valentine’s Day cards to the patients and families at Cincinnati Children’s. People from all around the world, including 138 countries and all 50 states have sent Valentines. 

Corporate Donor Relations Officer for Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Danielle Discepoli said the outpouring of support has been tremendous.

“It’s a great way for the community to connect to our patients because this is really the only way for patients to get cards for infection control reasons,” Discepoli said. 

To help deliver the cards, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital called in the big gun — Chevy the Golden Retriever.

Chevy is a therapy dog, and as you can see, the kids really loved meeting him. 

“I think it’s really cool you can just send Valentine’s out to somebody in the hospital,” Hope said. 

As for Hope’s recovery — she’s taking it one day at a time. For 90 days, she has to stay within a 9-mile radius of the hospital, so she and her mom have to stay at a nearby hotel instead of being at home in Mason. Which is adding costs the family has to pay out of pocket. 

But through it all, the family is staying optimistic. Hope said she’s looking forward to getting back to normal. 

Stephanie said her daughter is going to have to be on medication for the rest of her life, but they’re hoping she can return to playing the sport she loves.

“We hope to have her on a softball field or something like that,” Stephanie said.