Parents post a lot of cute kid pictures on the internet that capture the world’s attention… but Joey Powling Jr. is different.
While he’s adorable to look at, it’s this three-month-old’s bravery that has everyone enthralled.
This photo of a smiling Joey was taken just five days after he underwent open heart surgery.
During her pregnancy, Joey’s mum Sarah, was informed her baby had tetralogy of Fallot (TOF), which causes a hole in the heart. Sarah and her husband Joe, who live in the US, immediately put a life-saving plan in place and, working with doctors at the Boston Children’s Hospital, decided Joey would undergo surgery as soon after birth as possible.
The image was posted on reddit.com by Joey’s uncle Matt Tassone and has been viewed by more than a million people worldwide.
Sarah, who took the picture, says she wasn’t even after a happy snap, although Joey has since been dubbed the “world’s most ridiculously good-looking baby” by internet users.
“It’s a little strange but really cool,” Sarah says of Joey’s growing popularity.
“When he was in the hospital, I’d get on Facebook to see what people were saying. It helped get me and Joe through it all.
“I took that photo because it was the first time they uncovered the whole scar. Joe was playing with him, and I just wanted to get a picture of the scar, and he started smiling.”
Sarah and Joe are hoping the popularity of the image will raise awareness of TOF, one of the most common cardiac conditions in children.
“[Through Joey’s popularity], we want to [let people know that] if you’re not diagnosed before you’re born, you could have a different outcome,” Sarah says.
The pair have also had bracelets made that say “Joey hearts you” and “Don’t turn blue, get a clue”, in reference to the fact that many TOF babies experience extreme blue colouring.
