Simsbury Student Football Player Back in the Game After Heart Transplant

A Simsbury teen sidelined after a heart transplant is getting back on the football field.

When NBC Connecticut spoke to now 18-year-old Danny Dietz last year he was supporting his fellow Simsbury High School teammates from the sidelines.

Dietz suffered from an enlarged heart- a condition called Cardiomyopathy- and it forced him out of the game.

On Sept. 11, 2015, he got the call from Boston Children’s Hospital saying they had a new, life-saving heart for him.

Since the successful transplant, Dietz had been recovering and getting used to the idea of not playing football, until right before his senior season started. 

The teen's doctors gave him news he never expected.

"They said, 'Danny, your sternum is as strong as anyone elses. 'And if you feel comfortable we can clear you for full contact.' And it was just unbelievable," he said.

Dietz said he never gave up and he wanted to earn his way back onto the roster. He said it hasn’t been easy trying to re-train his body.

The heart surgery has caused his heart rate to be higher than normal.

"That takes about 15 minutes for my heart rate to increase and decrease," said Dietz.

But the wide receiver isn’t complaining. For Dietz, it’s a second chance at football and a second chance at life.

"With football, like I don’t take any play for granted. I was out there two weeks ago. I got two plays, two receptions and it was like the greatest thing ever – I got seven yards. I couldn’t have been happier."

Deitz will be back on the field this Friday against Enfield and his doctors say he is doing great.

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