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COLUMBUS — Long before John Connor Jr. faced one of the biggest battles of his life, Columbus knew him as the athlete who seemed capable of doing just about anything.
The 1998 Columbus High School graduate was a standout for the Cardinals before continuing his football career at the University of Oklahoma, where he was a member of the Sooners’ 2000 national championship team.
Now, family, friends and members of the Columbus community are rallying around Connor as he recovers from a heart transplant following more than two years of heart failure and months in the hospital.
Connor received his new heart Sept. 19.
“We’ve waited 2 years, 7 months, and 5 days to hear those words,” his sister, Jantavia Connor, shared while documenting her brother’s journey.
John Connor, Jr. and his father.
FROM A CARDINAL TO A SOONER Connor was a standout two-way player for Columbus High School, playing quarterback and defensive back under head coach Tommy Bludau.
A history of Columbus Cardinal football maintained by the Nesbitt Memorial Library describes Connor as an “outstanding two-way player” who helped lead the 1997 Cardinals during a season that included a deep playoff run.
His performance drew the attention of major college football programs, and Connor signed with the University of Oklahoma in 1998.
He went on to play for the Sooners and was part of Oklahoma’s 2000 national championship team.
More than two decades later, Connor would find himself facing a challenge far removed from the football field.
WAITING FOR A HEART
Connor’s battle with heart failure began Feb. 14, 2024.
Doctors eventually implanted a left ventricular assist device, or LVAD, a mechanical pump used to help the heart pump blood through the body.
Connor lived with the device for more than two years while awaiting a heart transplant.
His journey became more difficult in April when he was hospitalized after developing an infection associated with the LVAD. According to his family, he remained hospitalized for approximately five months as doctors worked to control the infection while keeping him eligible for a transplant.
Then came the call his family had been waiting more than two and a half years to receive.
On Sept. 19, Connor underwent heart transplant surgery.
He remains hospitalized as he begins the recovery process. His family has described his condition as critical but improving.
Throughout his hospital ization, Connor’s mother and other family members have continued making regular trips to remain by his side.
COMMUNITY SUPPORT SOUGHT The extended hospitalization and transplant recovery have also brought significant expenses for Connor and his family.
The family has established a GoFundMe campaign, “Rebui lt: John Connor’s Terminator Testimony,” to assist with insurance costs, travel, lodging and other expenses associated with his hospitalization and recovery.
For those who remember Connor wearing Cardinal colors — and later an Oklahoma uniform — his sister said the determination that defined him as an athlete remains evident in the fight he faces today.
“He’s always been unstoppable,” Jantavia Connor said. “Now, with a new heart, we get to watch him fight forward again.”
Information about supporting Connor and his family is available through the “Rebuilt: John Connor’s Terminator Testimony” fundraiser at gofund. me/1e9fe05ed.
