The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Eight-year-old girl in Texas receives a ‘gift of life’ to replace failing heart
FORT WORTH, TEXAS — Lisa Robinson had to decide if, in the event her daughter’s failing heart gave out, she wanted to donate her good organs to children whose lives could depend on them.
It was a “hard conversation” for the mother to have, forcing her to consider the possibility that her then-7-year-old daughter, Riley Robinson, wouldn’t make it. At the same time Lisa, 38, knew somewhere out there, another family could be having the same discussion that could save Riley’s life.
Riley, the second-oldest of four girls, had dilated cardiomyopathy, or an enlarged heart with less power to pump blood.
She spent about seven months living at Children’s Medical Center Dallas waiting for her turn for a transplant, with devices implanted inside of her doing the work her heart couldn’t. Lisa ultimately decided she had to list Riley as an organ donor.
Since Riley had her transplant operation in May, Lisa has felt a deep appreciation for the family of the 11-year-old girl whose heart beats inside of her daughter’s chest.
“You’re loving somebody else more than yourself at that moment,” Lisa said. “It’s what love is, right?”
David Sutcliffe, who was part of Riley’s team of pediatric oncologists at Children’s Medical Center, said the operation went well and Riley’s body accepted the new organ. “She is very strong, and that was very evident,” he said.
After missing most of last school year, Riley, now 8, was able to return in the fall to Calvary Christian Academy, where her favorite subjects are math and science.
“I’m glad that I have it,” Riley said of her new heart. “But at the same time, I’m sorry they lost whoever they had.”
Almost 10 months after receiving her life-saving transplant operation, Riley and her family are sharing their story to let people know the challenges faced by children who have heart failure, and that it’s not as uncommon as some might think.
Sutcliffe, who also serves as a pediatric oncologist for University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, said each year across the country there are around 14,000 admissions for heart failure in children.
As she spoke to the Star-Telegram before the end of American Heart Month, she said if she had to give advice to other kids with heart failure, it would be “even when you’re hurting, you should get up instead of laying in bed.”
“Because when you get up,” she said, “you get stronger.”
Each of Riley’s sisters wrote letters to the family that donated the heart and, within the next several months, they received a letter back expressing excitement the heart was a match.
They hope they can meet with the family one day so they can say thank you in person.
Lisa just isn’t sure how she will say it.
“They gave us the gift of life,” she said. “How do you thank someone for that?”