Six-year-old boy survives multiple heart surgeries and stroke

WATCH: Susan Hay has the story on a very brave six-year-old boy, Owen.

TORONTO- Owen Veloso is a brave young boy. Even though he’s just six years old, he has already gone through multiple heart surgeries for a complex heart condition.

“He had his first of five surgeries at seven days old. He has had a stroke, he has arrested for twenty minutes, he has had seizures from the stroke, and he has had multiple cardiac catheterizations, multiple procedures,” Laura Veloso, Owen’s mom, said.

Owen was diagnosed at just 19 weeks with congenital heart disease, and was immediately taken to SickKids.

“He was born with Hypoplastic Left Heart syndrome and its one of the more complex congenital heart disease lesions,”  according to his cardiologist Dr. Lee Benson, the director of Cardiac Diagnostic and Interventional Unit at SickKids. “He only has essentially one pumping chamber doing the work of two pumping chambers.”

Owen had his last major open heart surgery (The Fontan Operation) just a few weeks ago.

“The Fontan operation is the last planned surgical procedure it rearranges  the circulatory system in such a way, remembering you have one pumping system instead of two,” Benson said.

Despite going through so much at such a young age, Owen is doing well and continues to be a playful and happy child.

“He is a miracle, the amount of things he has been through, the amount of times he has come so close to dying. He shouldn’t be here,” Laura said.