Nolan arrived 2.5 weeks early, a healthy, 8-pound, 10-ounce baby boy. But within hours, the joy of his birth turned to fear. His mother, Sara Jutz, sensed something wasn’t right. Together with her husband, Joe, they pushed for closer observation. Trusting their instincts and speaking up made all the difference, that decision ultimately saved Nolan’s life.
Doctors diagnosed Nolan with a serious congenital heart defect: a coarctation of the aorta, a narrowing of one of the heart’s main arteries. Just 10 hours after birth, he was rushed by ambulance to Children’s Hospital in Minneapolis. At only four days old, Nolan underwent his first major surgery. Surgeons accessed his heart through his back and used a Gore-Tex (synthetic) patch to widen the narrowed artery. During that operation, Nolan received his first blood transfusion, one of many he would need. That donated blood played a critical role in saving his life.
Nolan recovered quickly and was able to go home on his ninth day of life. As he grew, his spirited personality and big heart, both literally and figuratively, became his trademarks. At age six, he underwent a second procedure. Since the synthetic patch placed earlier couldn’t grow with him, doctors used a balloon catheter to stretch it and improve blood flow. The minimally invasive procedure was a success, and Nolan bounced back to his usual self within days.
By the time he was 11, Nolan was thriving. Though he saw his cardiologist regularly and understood he’d never “outgrow” his condition, that never held him back. Active, strong, and fiercely determined, Nolan proudly embraced life as a heart warrior. He even led his elementary school in fundraising for the American Heart Association, raising more money than anyone else.
His journey is made even more remarkable by his family’s story. Nolan’s two younger siblings were also born with congenital heart defects, each different, each unique. While Nolan required surgeries, his siblings have not needed medical interventions. Doctors remain unsure why all three children were affected, but what is clear is the strength and resilience of the family.
The Jutz family has long been dedicated to supporting their community, but Nolan’s experiences ignited a deeper sense of purpose: a personal commitment to give back. Watching his mom organize a blood drive, motivated in part by her own father’s need for weekly transfusions, Nolan jumped in to help. He manned the registration table, witnessed firsthand the importance of blood donation, and knew he wanted to do more.
Following the success of last summer’s blood drive, Nolan and Sara set out to organize another, this time at Nolan’s middle school. They transformed his personal journey into a powerful mission to raise awareness and inspire others to make a life-saving difference.
There is a lot that goes into organizing a blood drive, but Nolan’s greatest test came on April 18.
During what was expected to be a routine stent placement, Nolan’s aortic valve ruptured, triggering cardiac arrest that lasted nearly 20 minutes. As blood rapidly filled his chest cavity, his left lung collapsed. In an urgent fight to save his life, doctors performed emergency surgery, relying on chest compressions to place the seven stents needed to repair the valve. Nolan required 18 units of blood that day, blood made available thanks to the selfless donations of others. That generosity is what saved his life.
Incredibly, just six weeks later, Nolan was back on the baseball field with his friends. His family, still overwhelmed by that day, speaks of how the experience changed them. “When you hear ‘18 units of blood,’ it hits different when it’s your child,” Sara said. “You don’t realize how much one small body can need, or how vital it is that the blood is there.”
Today, at 14 years old, Nolan is more than a survivor. He’s a fighter, an advocate, and a leader. He’s a student, a friend, an athlete, a big brother, and a boy whose strength has already changed so many lives. And he’s not done yet.
On June 30th, family and friends came together to donate blood at the drive Nolan and his mother organized at his middle school. Their hope was to collect enough to give back, to pay it forward for the many donations that once helped save Nolan’s life. They collected 41 pints of lifesaving blood – each one a testament to the power of giving and the impact of Nolan’s story.
Nolan continues to raise awareness and encourage others to donate blood, to give the gift of life, because he understands better than most just how vital it truly is.
He is, and always will be, a heart warrior.
Make an appointment to give blood or platelets now by using the Red Cross Blood Donor App, visiting RedCrossBlood.org or calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767).
American Red Cross Minnesota and Dakotas Region 