Golden hearts
09/23/2024LOVE COMES FROM THE (DONATED) HEART
Malaya Soares, 7, has been through more medical care than many will experience in their entire lives. She was born with a heart condition that prevented proper blood flow called dilated cardiomyopathy.
“It turns out we have the same exact mutated gene,” says heart recipient and Soares’ mother, Mia Welch, about their identical diagnoses.
By 6 months of age, Soares developed severe heart failure.
The team at Phoenix Children’s was able to stabilize Soares and add her to the national organ waiting list for a new heart.
“She was listed for transplant for 14 days,” Welch says, the longest two weeks of her life.
Further tightening the mother-daughter bond, Soares got her donated heart on the birthday of Welch’s own heart donor. Three years after her donation, Soares experienced post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder (PTLD), which is a rare but potentially dangerous complication after a transplant. But with great clinical care, a sparkly tiara, a bright smile and a personality to match, Soares is approaching a bright future with a new heart.
CHILDHOOD CANCER AWARENESS MONTH
September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. The observance provides an opportunity to recognize the bravery of young cancer warriors, support families impacted by childhood cancer and spread awareness.
Did you know? Each year, more than 300,000 children are diagnosed with cancer in the world, and approximately 15,780 children in the United States. Every three minutes, a family is informed that their child has been diagnosed with cancer, according to the American Childhood Cancer Organization.
