Cardiac rehab is often recommended for those with a heart condition.

For a long time, cardiac rehab was only available for adults. There's now an option for babies born with heart complications.

Among the children who underwent cardiac rehab is Ethan Delcid.

Blood was not flowing properly from his heart when he was born, and Ethan had surgery at three days old, then again at three months.

At four, Ethan needed a heart transplant.

“I saw him very close to death, so it was hard to hold my faith up,” Ethan’s mother, Yannin Delcid, said. “He was getting physically weaker, and then there were some like mental health side effects of that."

That's when a team at Intermountain Primary Children’s Hospital turned to pediatric cardiac rehab.

While living in the hospital for more than a year, exercise physiologists helped to get Ethan’s heart pumping and stronger for surgery. After 14 months, Ethan was ready when the call came.

Ethan is now ready to take on his next big challenge — kindergarten.

The pediatric cardiac fitness center at Intermountain Primary Children's Hospital is one of the first in the country, but they are beginning to pop up all over.

Every child who is hospitalized with heart failure gets enrolled into the program, from age three to 18 years old. 

Watch the video above for the full story.