The death of a child is always tragic and something no parent should ever have to experience. Similarly heartbreaking is serious illness in a child.
But unfortunately, many little lives are often lost each year and other little ones are left grasping on to fragile life lines due to sickness, leaving their mums and dads devastated.
Here is a story that involves both death and serious illness in relation to two young children — one aged two and the other just one. However, this story has a bittersweet ending that gives all parents hope.
Choking death
Just last December, Jamie Heard’s little boy William died after choking on a piece of chicken. The two-year-old had been with his nanny when he started choking.
Even though he was rushed to hospital where they managed to get the piece of chicken out, he died two days after being on life support, according to Yahoo News.
His mother said, “He was just the greatest kid. He was 100 percent ‘boy’ all the time, but he had such a sweet demeanor. He loved to love. It’s quiet in our house now. He just filled the room with a such a joy that’s making it difficult to be at home.”
After he died, Heard and her husband Daniel were given the option of donating their little boy’s organs.
“We felt so good about it and we thought it was an answered prayer that we were able to give a gift from our tragedy and able to help someone else,” she reportedly said. “His liver, kidneys and heart were all matched.”
Who did little William’s heart go to? Keep reading on the next page.
Life in death
Four hundred miles away, a one-year-old baby — Ava Martin — desperately needed a new heart.
Her mother Amie Martin said, “When we were pregnant with Ava, we found out that she was going to have some congenital heart defects. She had two open hearts. One when she was 7 days old, to correct an issue with her aorta, and another at 7 months old to help correct septal defects.”
At just 13 months old, Ava was diagnosed with heart failure and was soon admitted into the ICU. After an agonising 118-day wait, the Martin family got a call that Ava would finally get a new heart. And this heart belonged to little William.
On December 14 2015, Ava’s heart was replaced with William’s, giving her a whole new chance at life.
Now, the two mothers of the children are planning to meet face-to-face after connecting on social media, once Ava recovers from the heart transplant.
Heard said, “Aime [Ava’s mom] she said one of the first thing she did was listened to his heart [in her chest]. It was really cool to know that she was listening to the same heart. It’ll be a special moment to hug Ava and know that William was able to provide life for her.”
“[My husband] Brian and I are very thankful for the gift that they gave to our daughter they did a very selfless thing by giving life to another child, even in their darkest times,” Martin said. “We are just in awe of their strength…there are not a whole lot of words to express our gratitude towards them.”
For another touching story on how organ donation saved a child’s life, read this theAsianparent article.
To find out more about organ donation in Singapore, all you need to know is on this Ministry of Health website.
Do you know anyone who has got a second chance at life via organ donation? Let us know, and share your thoughts on this article in a comment below.
