Heart Transplant Patient’s Dream Comes True

DodgeCity.com

Nine-year-old Karina Valverde has had two heart transplants during her short life. She received her first transplant when she was 11-months-old, which allowed her to live a healthy life for nine years. Then the unexpected happened; her system rejected her heart. Doctors decided a second transplant was the only option.

Due to the seriousness of her condition, Karina was put on the heart transplant list immediately. Her family received word after two weeks that there was a heart available for Karina’s transplant. The Valverde family came to Denver to begin the transplant process.

"For seven months, we lived in Denver," Karina’s mother, Norma said. "Karina was hospitalized for four of those seven months at Children's Hospital Colorado, where she received pre-operative treatment, the transplant and post-operative therapy. The Ronald McDonald House provided us free accommodation during the whole process."

During Karina’s stay, a case coordinator from Children’s spoke to Norma about the nonprofit Make-A-Wish Foundation, offering her the organization's phone number and encouraging her to reach out to them.

A few months after the transplant, Norma contacted them.  

 "The process to agree to fulfill Karina's wish was fast," Norma said. "Once we met (with two local wish granters from the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Kansas), we filled out the request, and shortly afterwards we were informed that Karina qualified."

Karina’s wish was to travel to New York City to see the Statue of Liberty – an unusual wish compared to most childrens’.  

"When I learned in school about the Statue of Liberty, the story caught my attention, and I thought that someday I would travel to New York to see the Statue of Liberty," she said.

Read more about Karina's wish that came true.

Learn more about the Heart Transplant Program at Children's.