Sharing a birthday with a strong little guy 

Each year, on August 8, Bethany Hayes and her son Luka take a trip to Whataburger to get a Shake in celebration of their birthday—both Luka’s and Whataburger’s. 

“We’re a family that really loves Whataburger,” Bethany said. “We eat it almost every day for breakfast.” 

This year, as Luka turned three years old, they had even more reasons to celebrate. Not only was it Whataburger’s 75th anniversary—with 75-cent Whataburgers for everyone—but it was also Luka’s first birthday since undergoing successful open-heart surgery. 

Shortly after Luka turned two years old, he got sick and Bethany took him to an urgent care clinic. The doctor there noticed a heart murmur, and after visits with their pediatrician and a cardiologist, they found out Luka had a congenital heart defect. 

“We went in for an EKG,” Bethany said. “It was abnormal, so they did an ultrasound—and from there, we found out he had a hole in his heart.” 

In January of this year, Luka underwent open-heart surgery to correct the issue. Bethany said it was the scariest time of her life, but she leaned on her faith and the support of family, friends, and even strangers to get through it. 

“There were so many people that we didn't even know personally that were praying for him,” Bethany said. “Hundreds of people were there for us.” 

Bethany was amazed at how quickly Luka seemed to recover after his surgery. They spent just two nights in the hospital, and he was back to his normal, exuberant self faster than she could believe. 

“He thinks he has super strength now,” Bethany said. “It's like his superpower. How strong he was through it all made me stronger as a person.” 

With Luka’s heart issues behind them, Bethany and Luka are looking forward to many more birthday Whataburger visits to come.