Sofia is a bright, spirited 4-year-old who fills every room with joy, laughter, and a little bit of sass. Born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS), a rare congenital heart defect, Sofia has already shown more strength and resilience than most people do in a lifetime.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She underwent the Norwood procedure at less than 2 days old and the Glenn procedure at 4 months old. In July 2025, testing determined she would not be a candidate for the Fontan procedure, making heart transplant her only option. After months of outpatient transplant evaluation, Sofia was admitted to the hospital on October 29, 2025, and listed as Status 1A (the highest priority) for a heart transplant on November 10, 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After 286 days on the transplant waiting list, Sofia received her miracle heart. Our family is forever grateful to her donor and the donor family for giving Sofia the precious gift of life. We will carry this gratitude in our hearts always.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After 310 days in the hospital, Sofia finally got to go home. While this is an incredible milestone, her journey is far from over. She will continue to need close follow-up, medications, lab work, frequent appointments, and careful monitoring as her body adjusts to her new heart and she continues to heal. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Through it all, Sofia remains spunky, playful, loving, and full of life. Her smile reminds us every day what true courage and resilience looks like. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
We are incredibly grateful to everyone who has prayed for Sofia, supported our family, shared her story, and stood beside us throughout this journey. Your love and support have carried us through some of the hardest days and helped us celebrate the most beautiful ones. Thank you for being part of Sofia\u2019s story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
All funds raised through the Children\u2019s Organ Transplant Association (COTA) will go directly toward Sofia\u2019s lifetime transplant-related expenses, helping provide the care and support she needs now and in the years ahead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Children\u2019s Organ Transplant Association (COTA) helps children and young adults who need a life-saving transplant by providing fundraising assistance and family support. COTA is the nation\u2019s only fundraising organization solely dedicated to raising life-saving dollars in honor of transplant-needy children and young adults. 100% of each contribution made to COTA in honor of our patients helps meet transplant-related expenses. COTA\u2019s services are free to our families, and gifts to COTA are tax deductible to the fullest extent of the law.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Sofia is a bright, spirited 4-year-old who fills every room with joy, laughter, and a little bit of sass. Born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS), a rare congenital heart defect, Sofia has already shown more strength and resilience than most people do in a lifetime. She underwent the Norwood procedure at less than 2 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":192,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-14","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n