Sofia Sanchez, the Hospital Patient Famously Visited by Drake, Gets New Heart After 9-Hour Surgery

Doctors are hopeful that Sofia will enjoy a long life as a result of the transplant.

Sofia Sanchez, the 11-year-old girl who captured America’s attention when she received a surprise hospital visit from Drake, has a new heart after undergoing a successful transplant in Chicago Monday. 

"Sofia is out of surgery!" her mom, Natalie, posted on social media Monday. "Surgery went well. She received a really good, strong heart. Thank you for your prayers."

She added: “God is good.” 

Sofia underwent the nine-hour procedure Monday morning at Chicago's Lurie Children's Hospital. By 6 p.m., she was in recovery. 

“She's doing great,” Dr. Carl Backer, the pediatric heart surgeon who performed the life-saving surgery, told Inside Edition Tuesday. “She's still sedated, still on a breathing machine, the ventilator, but we're planning to ween her sedation today and hopefully get her breathing tube out either later today or tomorrow."

The doctor added that Sofia will most likely enjoy a long life as a result of the transplant.

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