Sometimes tragedy gives way to miracles. It has in the case of little Zoe Tanner (whose blog you can reach by clicking on the link at the left of this page). Our 6-year-old wonder spent last night receiving the best gift anyone could give or receive – a new, healthy heart. For those who have followed this girl’s experience on her blog or through her Aunt Nikki’s blog, you’ll know the struggles and the recent turn of events that made this a more urgent need for Zoe and her family.
What a horribly difficult situation to be in – to pray that a child receives an organ that she desperately needs, knowing full well someone has to die in order for that to happen. But somewhere a family who has suffered a tremendous loss took into account that a selfless act was needed in order to reach out and help a nameless, faceless stranger. To that family go my prayers for solace and comfort, and my admiration for making a damned tough choice in the face of the most awful situation any parent can face. Maybe that’s why they made that choice – they knew what hell it was seeing a kid suffer.
In the past few weeks I’ve gotten to know Zoe’s situation and read her mom and her aunt’s accounts of her stay in the hospital, I’ve felt this odd sense of protectiveness come over me. It’s as though Zoe became my kid, too. She became part of that quirky Internet “family” that integrates your “real” life to the point where you’re praying for her at dinner and at bedtime and when that eyelash falls and your kid says “Make a wish” you instinctively wish for a new heart for Zoe, just in case that silly superstition has merit.
Yesterday was another day of such prayers. Today, however, comes the rejoicing and the loud whoops as we read about this kid’s struggle being over, and about this new heart beating loudly inside her, making damn sure she’s around to tell the world about the time when she only wanted to eat cantalope without being sick.
Congratulations, Zoe. You’re one in a million, kid.
a touching story…
I am going now to check out the blogs. I can’t wait to read them and I will probably waste most of my day going back through the archives, but oh well.
Auntie Nikki did a great job pulling things together for little Zoe. I witnessed a lot of her activity on Twitter as she rallied people together for the auction on Zoe’s behalf. It’s wonderful to see this story have such a happy ending. Zoe and her family will continue to be in my prayers.
Lori thank you so much! I’m just stunned how people have surrounded Zoe and protected her as best they could with their prayers and positive thoughts. It’s like a huge weight has been lifted from us. I hope my sister will update soon but as of tonight, the breathing tube is out and half of the arsenal of drugs she was on are now gone – including the sedatives. She’s sore and in pain from the surgery but with time that will pass.
thank you for reading about her and welcoming her into your family. She absolutely is one in a million to us.