PEMBROKE — The saying that someone “showed a lot of heart” is commonly said after a gutsy or courageous performance in the athletic realm.

But rarely is the phrase as literal as it is about Purnell Swett’s John Broussard.

A heart condition through his childhood meant that he couldn’t play sports. After receiving a new heart through a transplant in Nov. 2022, he’s now completed his first season playing with the Rams boys tennis team.

“In October of last year, I started training, trying to get my strength up, trying to run, because I was like ‘when I go back to school, I’m not just going to sit around, I’m going to go play a sport or something,’” Broussard said. “Coming back to school in January, the first thing I told (Purnell Swett tennis coach Jeremy Sampson) when I saw him was ‘I’m playing tennis this year, I got the green light to play.’ He was like ‘let’s do it,’ and he really wanted me to play. I tried everything I could, ended up getting in shape enough to play, started to play on a daily basis to the point where I tried for the team and made it.”

After spending much of his youth in doctors offices and hospitals, and being unable to participate in some activities, Broussard was excited to simply be on a team and experience the camaraderie with his fellow players.

“Teammates are great, they helped you through pain and struggle, they were there for you when you win, they were there for your losses,” said Broussard, a rising senior. “They were there outside of the court, I think that’s what mattered the most. They’re more than just players, they’re friends.”

“He’s got a long way to go as far as tennis goes, but just being out there, lasting the match, being able to get through entire practices — just think of what he’s been through,” Sampson said. “He would get down on himself at times, ‘coach, I can’t get that serve in, I can’t do that.’ I said ‘dude, just you being out here is huge.’ … I’m sure it’s rubbed off on the other kids as well, and just his love for the game, wanting to be out there, it’s rubbed off on everyone else, including myself.”

Broussard was born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome, which means the left side of his heart didn’t function properly. He was put on a pacemaker at age 3 and has had “three major surgeries, and a bunch of little surgeries and tweaks and stuff,” and has been on medication for all his life.

“I was that short chubby kid that you couldn’t tell nothing; you couldn’t tell that I had anything wrong with me,” Broussard said. “I was healthy, but I wasn’t healthy.”

Broussard suffered a stroke in July 2022 and experienced heart failure through the fall of that year. In November, it was time for a new heart.

“You think everything’s going good, and it’s really not,” Broussard said. “I expected to get a heart, but not as soon as I got one. I wasn’t expecting to have one at the age of 16. It was a painful journey — to be honest with you, it taught me how to be a man. It was so much stuff that I had to learn and grow up and learn how to do to be who I am.”

Through a recovery which also included a stomach operation, Broussard was out of school until January of this year. But when he returned, he was physically ready to try something new and play competitive tennis, which his father and aunt played as kids.

“It just takes a lot of guts and heart,” Sampson said. “He bugged me to death, he goes ‘coach, I’m going to play tennis,’ and I said, ‘John, you’re going to have to get cleared,’ but he would not take no for an answer. Just coming in and him being out there, he made such improvements from the first day (of practice) at the end of February to the end. He could barely hold a racket steady at the beginning, the first day of practice. … He’s got where he can serve and learned the game, and just his enthusiasm for the game, it’s infectious to the other kids.”

By season’s end, Broussard was competing in the United-8 Conference 4A tournament in a doubles match with partner Owen Deese; the pair lost their match, but won three games in the second set.

Earlier this month, Broussard was one of 23 athletes recognized with the Heart of a Champion Award from the North Carolina High School Athletic Association. The award is given to students who “exemplify outstanding citizenship and sportsmanship in their community,” the association says.

“Coach told me about it and was like ‘are you down to do this?’ I was like, yes,” said Broussard, who was also recognized with the Purnell Swett tennis team’s Courage Award. “I was like, there’s probably millions of people, I may not win, but let’s try. It’s an honor, it’s a privilege to get such an amazing award and be able to hold that plaque up for that.”

“When I first came across that (award nomination), I think it was in April, and I was like, that’s something that John — he’s the first kid that came to mind,” Sampson said. “This is something that will be great for him. … It was something small that I could do to kind of highlight the things he’s been through in his life and what he’s come to at this point.”

Broussard is currently back at Duke University Hospital in Durham after recently his heart “started giving out,” he said, but after treatment he is doing better and expects to come home soon. The complications are not related to his sports participation, he said.

He is, in fact, excited for his senior season with the Rams.

“I plan on going really hard next year, I plan on practicing until then, steadily practicing every day as much as I can, hitting the court as much as I can, just to have improved skills and get better,” Broussard said. “I know it’s a long reach to play for two years and look for a scholarship, but maybe I can get something; if not, I’m looking forward to being able just to play.”

After all he’s been through, one more season of high school tennis will allow him to continue to build friendships and be an inspiration to his teammates, Sampson said.

“One more year for him, it just gives him another chance to improve on his game. In his situation, I don’t even look at it as him trying to play at the next level, but he’s learned so much, he’s gained friends,” Sampson said. “This is huge for him and something that he can build on for his life as he plans to go to college, or whatever he decides to do after high school; it’s something he can always look back and cherish these memories. It’s bigger than the sport for him.”