BOSTON — Nine days after being rushed to Boston with a rare postpartum heart condition, Dalton mother Kenzie Yetto received a heart transplant that saved her life.

Kenzie's husband, Jon, said he is grateful for the outpouring of support his wife has received and the donor family whose decision made his wife’s transplant possible.

“We don’t know who it was, but we want to thank [their family] for having their significant other be a donor,” Jon Yetto said.

Kenzie, who gave birth to her second child Jan. 22, was recently diagnosed with spontaneous coronary artery dissection, a rare and serious condition that can occur after childbirth. She has been hospitalized in Boston since March 25 when she began experiencing symptoms of what she thought was a heart attack. She was later diagnosed with SCAD.

Kenzie Yetto, left, and Jon Yetto, right, with their daughter Rona. Kenzie was recently diagnosed with a rare and serious postpartum condition and received a heart transplant that saved her life.

As she begins her recovery, her family and Berkshire County community members have rallied with overwhelming support, raising funds and helping care for her children.

Jon said the support has been “unbelievable” and that he “never would’ve thought that our community would step up so much.” Friends and family have helped care for their two children, a 10-year-old daughter and a 10-week-old son, who remain in the Berkshires while Kenzie recovers.

Kenzie's best friend, Margaret Cowan, and Ronnie Bailey started a GoFundMe for the Yetto family with a goal of raising $35,000 to help with transplant bills, travel and child care needs. As of Tuesday afternoon, $30,739 had been raised.

The Dalton-Hinsdale Little League, for which Kenzie and Jon have been volunteers, joined the chorus of social media shares to drum up support. The league posted on Facebook that the Yettos have been "vital members of the DHLL community, generously volunteering countless hours over the years."

Spontaneous coronary artery dissection is an emergency condition that occurs when a tear forms in the wall of a heart artery, according to the Mayo Clinic. SCAD occurs when a tear forms in a heart artery and can cause chest pain, shortness of breath, and extreme fatigue. Childbirth is a known risk factor, particularly in the first few weeks after delivery, due to hormonal changes and stress on blood vessels.

In the days that followed Kenzie's diagnosis, she underwent two surgeries to install an Impella pump to restore blood flow to her left ventricle. She was airlifted to Boston for specialized care and after evaluation, the doctors determined that she needed a heart transplant to survive.

She received the transplant nine days later. The hospital said it was one of the quicker turnarounds they had seen, Jon said, adding that Kenzie is now up and walking.

Kenzie Yetto, left, and her best friend, Margaret Cowan, right, have been friends for 20 years and graduated from Pittsfield High School together in 2010. “She’s like a sister to me,” Cowan said.

Cowan has visited Kenzie twice in Boston and said it’s “incredible to see her strength through all of it.” Cowan said organ donation touches countless lives and urged those who are able to consider becoming donors.

“Without that, I would have lost her,” Cowan said.

Kenzie is a dental assistant at Pittsfield Dental Center with Dr. Natalya Yantovsky, and Jon is a youth program manager at the Lenox Community Center. The Yettos have been together since 2018 and got married in 2022.

Cowan said that the Yettos have been very involved in the Dalton community. “Dalton is a very small town, as everyone knows, and when one of them hurts, everyone hurts,” Cowan said.

The Yettos are hoping to return home sometime in May, Jon said.

“She’s doing well, and she’s pushing herself hard,” he said. "[The hospital] is very happy with the progress she’s made over the last few days.”