Miss Mia

This heart world that we are in can be full of miracles. I live with one.

It can also have many tragedies. 

Mia and her mother Mimi are some of our sweet heart friends. Both of them were born with the same heart defect. Mia required a complete heart transplant. At 4 months old she received this ultimate gift from a sweet angel named Jacob.

She is now 4 and has been doing so well.

Recently she was granted a wish by the Make-A-Wish Foundation to meet her idol, Minnie Mouse. Mia and her family were granted a trip to Florida to go to Disney World so she could finally meet Minnie.

Mia had been a little under the weather a few days before they left, and everyone was assuming it was just a cold. When they got to Florida she had gotten much worse and was hospitalized in Orlando thinking it was pneumonia. After an echo it was found that she was in rejection (her body was rejecting the transplanted heart) and her heart was functioning at 40%.

They took her in to do a biopsy of her heart and during this procedure her beautiful little heart stopped. She was put on ECMO (life support) and was transported to the All Children's Hospital in Tampa to their transplant team.

After a few days they were hoping that she would open her eyes and show brain activity. This devistatingly didn't happen. She had been deprived of oxygen for too long.

The doctors told her family that there was no hope and nothing that could be done. Her family was forced to say good-bye and they decided to take her off of life support on October 8, 2012.

She never got to meet Minnie.

I always knew that being in this heart world I would eventually be going to children's funerals. Children who are friends with Tanner. But I never expected to be attending Mia's funeral. 

Not this way.

She was doing so well! She was such a strong and spunky little thing. Her cardiologists were happy with how she was doing. It is so scary on how fast this happened. It has reminded all of us how fragile our heart babies really are.

My heart is breaking for Mimi, John and her brothers and sister. 

On the day her family released Mia back home to Heavenly Father we all wore red and release balloons in her and Jacob's honor.

We did 4 red balloons. 1 for each "extra" year that she was given because of organ donation and the compassionate decision that Jacob's family made. As well as 1 blue balloon for Jacob.

Mia will never be forgotten. 

She has touched so many lives. 

I had the privilege of meeting her at heart camp. Her laugh and her smile were contagious. You were just drawn to her perfect little spirit.

This world and our heart community now feels empty because of the loss of sweet Mia.

Heaven is now sweeter. Fly high little Miss.