The Keck family has a saying: prepare for the worst, but hope for the best. Thankfully, preparing for the worst has been for naught. Twenty-four-year-old Jeremy has done amazingly well, especially considering that when he was born, physicians hadn’t yet perfected the type of surgery now used to repair his type of heart defect. “When Jeremy was a baby they told me he would probably only live to 13 or 14 years old,” explains Jeremy’s mom Terri. “That really shows just how much care has evolved since then.”

Jeremy has been a patient of Phoenix Children’s since he was only four months old. At age three he had his first open-heart surgery. At 14 he had his second. “With the first surgery I was so young that I didn’t fully understand what was going on,” says Jeremy. “The second time I understood. But I just tried to have a positive outlook on it. I’ve always tried to be positive about it.”

Altogether Jeremy has had five open heart surgeries and 10 major surgeries, including a pacemaker that was placed in his heart 16 years ago. After spending so much time at Phoenix Children’s, the Hospital has become a second home to Jeremy and his family. “We owe so much to the doctors and nurses who have become part of our extended family,” says Terri. “The people there are so much a part of our lives and have really cared about Jeremy. And they don’t just treat us that way. I see that with all of the families and patients.”

Always a “glass is half full” kind of guy, Jeremy says it’s important to keep things in perspective and make the most of the life he’s been given. Today, Jeremy is on very little medication and has no major lingering issues because of his condition. He comes to Phoenix Children’s every six months for follow up care, saying it’s a relief to come back to the same place and the same people, knowing he’ll receive the very best quality of care available.

A college graduate who works as a project manager for a large construction firm in the Valley, Jeremy is also a scratch golfer and spends as much time as he can on the greens. He also spends time giving back to Phoenix Children’s through various fundraisers. “I can’t say enough about the Hospital, Dr. [Michael] Teodori, and the entire staff…from nurses to administrators,” says Jeremy. “People may think that coming to a hospital would be a bad experience, but at Phoenix Children’s they really know how to make the best of a bad situation.”