FORT POLK, La. - From an early age, Jakob Lopez showed a talent for playing soccer. It almost seemed at times as if the ball was just an extension of Lopez's foot.
"He was always kicking a soccer ball," said 1st Sgt. Jorge Lopez Sr., Jakob's dad. "When we were stationed in Germany from 2005-2008, he played on some of the best teams in the Kaiserslautern area. He even played on the U.S. Olympic development team against some of the best players from other countries."
Jakob's skill with a soccer ball was such that a local German club team named him captain.
While his soccer skills were uncommon, there was also something else special about Jakob - he had a leaky heart valve.
"We didn't know how much the leaky valve would allow him to play," Jorge said.
After tests and discussions with doctors, it was decided that as long as Jakob's parents monitored him, it was OK to play soccer.
"It turns out that leaky heart valves are not that uncommon," Jorge said. "Most people undergo valve replacement or repair and live relatively normal lives."
During the Family's last year in Germany, doctors told the Lopez Family they should begin thinking about surgery for Jakob. Jorge said that was the Family's focus when they arrived at Fort Polk in 2008.
"We decided to have the surgery during the summer of 2009 so that his school soccer season would not be affected," Jorge said. "But sometimes things do not go as planned."
First, Jakob had surgery to repair the valve, but the repair didn't hold. Next, a valve replacement was attempted, but because of the original surgery, Jakob's heart was not strong enough to handle the replacement. His heart failed.
"For about a week they used an external regulator to assist his heart," Jorge said. "It's scary seeing tubes coming out of your son's neck."
A week later Jakob was placed on a ventricular assist device and his parents were told the youngster needed a heart transplant.
"A VAD is the last resort to keep a patient alive while waiting for a transplant," Jorge said. "They told us the wait could last up to a year."
To complicate matters, Jakob still wanted to play soccer and go to school for his senior year.
"He was determined to see this thing through," Jorge said.
Jakob said he knew a heart transplant would be difficult.
"I was upset at first," he said. "I knew having a heart transplant wasn't good for playing soccer or for a person's health in general."
After one week on the VAD, the Lopez Family received news that a donor - a perfect match for Jakob - was available. What followed was a nine-hour operation and extensive rehabilitation.
"One nurse told me after the surgery that I would not be able to play as well as I did before the surgery," Jakob said. "My physical therapist told me I could do anything I set my mind to, but I had to set goals."
Jakob said he went out on a limb with his first goal - to be back playing soccer by November.
"My physical therapist laughed because this was in August," Jakob said. "Everyone working with me would joke about me sending them tickets to my game that fall. They might have laughed then, but I had the last laugh."
Jakob's rehabilitation went so well that he started his senior year in October 2009. The doctors who performed the surgery in Pennsylvania transferred his follow-up care to Houston. Doctors there cleared Jakob to play soccer in time for his senior season - November.
Leesville High School soccer coach Lyn Saverino said she vividly remembers Jakob's first game back.
"He was a very strong player before the surgery," she said. "He played at a level above most other players his age. We worried that he wouldn't play as well after the surgery, but he played as well as before."
In that first game, Saverino said Jakob scored a goal.
"He broke down on the field afterward," she said. "I think everyone on the field was crying."
Jakob said that when the ball went into the net he was overcome with emotions.
"Even now I get tears in my eyes thinking about it," he said. "As I watched the ball go in, I remembered all the physical therapy I had done, and the thoughts I had that I might not ever play soccer again. When I scored, it was a defining moment in my life. I had made it back all the way and the tears just started coming. It was the best feeling I'd ever had and I can't imagine anything else could be better."
Jakob continued to play well and was selected as one of the best players in both the district and Central Louisiana. He also caught the eye of the soccer coach at Mary Hardin-Simmons University, located in Abilene, Texas. Jakob completed his comeback by receiving a scholarship to play soccer at Hardin-Simmons.
"It's not all been highs," Jorge said. "There have been setbacks, but he's kept a positive attitude. We did some research and we believe Jakob will be the first heart transplant recipient to play college soccer."
Jakob said the road would still be difficult.
"I still get tired easier than I used to so I have to pace myself," he said.
His main concerns deal with what happens after he plays soccer, Jakob said.
"I'm afraid sometimes that I won't be able to accomplish some of my long-term goals, like being a daddy and growing old," he said. "It worries me. But if I keep working at it I hope to live a long time."
Jorge said his son would still have to be monitored on a regular basis.
"Any transplant patient has to be checked for rejection," Jorge said. "He takes medicine and goes for check-ups. But other than a scar on his chest, he looks like any other teenager."
Jorge said medical advances over the past five years have given Jakob a chance for a long, normal life. "As long as he's getting his checkups and following directions, the outlook is good," Jorge said.
Jakob's mother, Nelva Lopez, said she is still amazed at what her youngest son has done.
"He overcame a lot of challenges," she said. "He's been a great blessing and motivator to all of us."
Nelva said when she first learned Jakob needed a heart transplant, she was devastated.
"That's hard for a mom to face," she said. "But he always kept a positive attitude and I knew he would make it. Now, we just take it one day at a time."
Jorge said his Family could not have made it through their trial with the support of friends.
"The Army Family was there for us from start to finish," he said. "Local churches also helped. We have a lot to be thankful for. People, both here and in Germany, kept him in their thoughts and prayers. The response was overwhelming. "There were times I thought we'd never get to this point, but the Lord has been good to us."
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