During a family vacation to Disney World, the Gahan’s 18-month-old daughter, Mya started having shortness of breath and ended up at a local hospital in Orlando. Their seemingly healthy child was having heart failure and was sent immediately home to Atlanta where they were told she needed a heart transplant for a chance of survival. Mya and her family waited for six months, living on the transplant list at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, before receiving the gift of life.
CHILDREN’S STORIES
When most people hear your child needs a heart transplant, they say something like, “Are you OK? I can’t even imagine what you’re going through.” And they’re right. They can’t. We don’t have to imagine. We created Enduring Hearts in 2013 after our 3-year-old daughter Mya received her life-saving heart transplant. We remember the days spent waiting for a donor heart, the bittersweet joy of finding a match, the whirlwind of surgery, and the uncertain recovery. They were the most challenging moments of our lives, but we made it through. We’re on the other side, and Mya is thriving. Of course, there are still challenges. But we believe you can overcome those same challenges – and that you and your child can make it through, too. We know every fiber of your body hurts, and we can’t take that away. But we can be here to listen, to lean on and to do what your well-meaning friends and family members can’t do, because they haven’t been in your shoes. Let us shoulder some of your pain by going on this journey with you. We’re in this together.
