Recipient

When Sofia was four months old, she caught a virus, which affected her heart. One month later, she was diagnosed with dilated secondary cardiomyopathy, which led her to need a life-saving heart transplant. She received the gift of life, a donated heart, just before her first birthday. Since then, she has grown up without problems, having a normal kid’s life.

Few months ago, Sofia started losing weight and developed a constant cough. Doctors at Jackson Holtz Children’s Hospital started researching what was happening with her. Within that lapse of time, she had four pneumothoraxes (an abnormal collection of air in the pleural space that causes an uncoupling for the long from the chest wall), which led to chest surgery. She was diagnosed with “Malt Lymphoma” (a cancer of the lymphatic system, which is part of the body’s immune system). She has been hospitalized in multiple occasions for long periods because of this disease, blood transfusions, chemotherapy, and other procedures.

Claudia Caceres, Donor Mother