Today, July 7, 2025, we celebrate my daughter’s 16th Heart Birthday—the anniversary of the day she received her lifesaving heart transplant at just five months old.
There were times when I wasn’t sure she would make it to her toddler years, let alone her teens. Yet here we are, sixteen years later, filled with gratitude, awe, and joy.
I am endlessly thankful for the family who, in the midst of unimaginable loss, made the courageous decision to donate their child’s heart. Their gift gave my daughter life—and has continued to give, every single day, for sixteen years and counting.
Here she was on July 4, 2009:
I remember going up to the roof of the hospital that night, July 4th, with other families and patients to watch the fireworks. She couldn’t come with me. At just five months old, she was hooked up to so many machines—feeding tubes, multiple IVs, a ventilator. Her tiny body was so fragile, her failing heart working overtime.
This was one of the rare moments she was awake. Most of the time, she was kept on a paralytic to prevent any strain—because even small movements could be too much for her heart.
Just two days later, we got the call: they had a heart for her.
Here she is, just one month post-transplant:
What a difference a month makes!
She still had a few tubes, but she was off the ventilator—awake, alert, and smiling. I was (and still am) amazed by how quickly she bounced back after spending nearly all of her first five months in a hospital bed. Multiple surgeries—including open-heart surgery for the transplant—and yet here she was, healing and thriving.
The resilience of our bodies and minds is truly incredible. And so is the team of medical professionals who cared for her then and continue to support her now. We are endlessly grateful for their skill, dedication, and compassion.
It doesn’t end here…
Today, my daughter is living beyond the median survival for a heart transplant. For most, that’s about 12 to 15 years. Pediatric transplants tend to last a bit longer—around 20 years on average—but most recipients will eventually need another transplant.
She’ll likely need a new heart within the next 10 years. While medicine continues to advance and she’s been incredibly responsible with her medications, she faces some added challenges. A loose tricuspid valve is already causing some complications, and her heart is slightly enlarged as a result. So while some transplant recipients make it 30 or even nearly 40 years with the same heart, we know she may not be one of them.
Still, we remain hopeful—and incredibly grateful.
She is the reason I became an organ donation ambassador. There are so many people still waiting. We were unbelievably lucky—she waited just 28 days, and she was still strong enough to undergo transplant. That’s not the case for every family.
If you’re not already registered as an organ donor, I hope you’ll consider it. Make your wishes known—talk to your loved ones, and if you’re in California, check the box on your driver’s license. You never know whose life you might save.
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