An ill child is a tremendous ordeal for any parent. If that child is sick enough to need an organ transplant, that ordeal can become a parent’s worst nightmare. Patrick and Madelyn Gahan have two daughters Anya and Mya, and live in Marietta, Georgia. At only 15 months old, Mya was diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy, which meant her heart wasn’t able to pump as effectively as it should. After a year and a half on medication, Mya would require a heart transplant.
On the eve of Mya’s third birthday, she began to suffer severe heart arrhythmia. Her parents could see her heart beating through her shirt. Patrick and Madelyn rushed Mya to the emergency room, and doctors determined a transplant would be required quickly before her lungs became any weaker.
