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<\/p>\nFor the last week I have tried to figure out what to write about May 6th. \u00a0I posted photos and videos from my meeting with Hayley’s heart recipient. \u00a0The response is overwhelming. \u00a0Over 100 comments and messages. \u00a0Nearly 400 “likes”. \u00a0I knew the day was special but had no idea it would touch so many people and touch them so deeply.<\/p>\n
We made a commitment the week Hayley died to honor her wish to be an organ donor. \u00a0But for me it was not enough to donate just any organs. \u00a0I was absolutely obsessed that week with her heart. \u00a0I knew if I could hear it beat for another then she wasn’t really gone. \u00a0Each day for 5 days we had to decide to continue walking through hell. \u00a0Could we wait for her heart to get stronger so that another could live. \u00a0Hayley’s heart was amazing. \u00a0It loved big. \u00a0She never had an issue telling you how she felt. \u00a0Her heart would not hold back. \u00a0Someone very lucky was going to get that heart.<\/p>\n
The night we watched her being wheeled into the elevator knowing we would never see her beautiful hair, face and body again was gut wrenching. \u00a0We had to remember to breathe. \u00a0I could barely comprehend what was happening. \u00a0We went home to wait for news. \u00a0It was not long before we received a message saying that Hayley’s heart was indeed perfect. \u00a0It was being transplanted immediately. \u00a0We assumed this was a local donation and we hoped that we would be so lucky as to meet that person. \u00a0Last Sunday that dream came true for me.<\/p>\n
In early March I began the process of reaching out to Hayley’s recipients. \u00a0You write a letter and send it to the Organ Procurement Organization in our state. \u00a0They then review the letter and forward it to the donor advocates. \u00a0They decide if the letter needs to be altered and then forwards it to the recipient. \u00a0In both cases I know about so far, both women were notified that a letter was on its way. \u00a0That must have been exciting and scary all at the same time.<\/p>\n
In the case of her Heart, she received the letter on March 31st. \u00a0Her name is Elena. (pronounced E-Lane-a) \u00a0That afternoon I was home alone when I received a FB messenger request from a stranger. \u00a0Her name was Elena. \u00a0There was not message and I figured it was another one of those phishing messages and began to point my mouse towards delete. \u00a0But I accidentally clicked accept. \u00a0I waited and there was no message. \u00a0I could see the “….” that she was typing. \u00a0While I waited I decided to troll this stranger’s FB page. \u00a0I immediately saw a photo of a lovely woman with three teenagers and a dog. \u00a0I thought to myself, Hayley’s heart recipient had three kids. \u00a0In my mind those kids were young as we were mistakenly told she was in her 30s. \u00a0I struggled to scroll fast enough to find July 2017. \u00a0There she was in a hospital with the tell tale open heart pillow! \u00a0Open heart patients receive these pillows to help hold against their chest when coughing or moving at all. \u00a0Imagine trying to keep your healing chest from falling apart. \u00a0It was then that her message came through. \u00a0My first response was “are you her?” “Heart?” \u00a0It was.<\/p>\n
I began hyperventilating and frantically walking from room to room saying “omg, omg, omg”. \u00a0The dogs thought I had finally cracked. \u00a0I called Terri, she was there when Hayley died, she needed to know. \u00a0She came over with adult beverages as Elena and I began to chat. \u00a0At the same time I was calling everyone that had been there that week. \u00a0The support. \u00a0The \u00a0people that escorted Hayley to that elevator. \u00a0I read them the message. \u00a0Everyone cried. \u00a0I called Hayley’s closest friends, they needed to hear this news!<\/p>\n
When Scott got home I realized he was not ready to hear this news. \u00a0He had indicated when I wrote my letters that he didn’t know how he felt about it and it was too overwhelming to explore. \u00a0I understood.<\/p>\n
For the next couple of weeks Elena and I chatted online nearly every single night. \u00a0I learned she messages from the shower. \u00a0She tends to run late. \u00a0She is a single mother. \u00a0She has two sons 19 and 17 and a daughter that just turned 16 on Hayley’s birthday. \u00a0She was born in Peru. \u00a0She served in the military for several years.<\/p>\n
She told me her transplant story. \u00a0When she entered the hospital she was not sure she would ever leave. \u00a0Think about that. \u00a0You are 44 with three kids and you don’t know if you will live another month. \u00a0How brave she was to enter that hospital. \u00a0She told me this was her second transplant. \u00a0Her last heart lasted 14 years. \u00a0Hayley’s heart needs to be her forever heart. \u00a0I immediately responded with how amazing that was and how strong she must be. \u00a0She asked me “don’t you think I am greedy?” \u00a0What? \u00a0She thought I might think she didn’t deserve two 2nd chances. \u00a0I couldn’t believe it. \u00a0Not even for a second did that cross my mind. \u00a0I knew that the person in the most need that was a match to my child’s heart was the one that deserved it. \u00a0That was Elena.<\/p>\n
We found that we had things in common besides being close to age and mothers. \u00a0We have had similar careers. \u00a0She was a dancer, dancing ballet for many years. \u00a0She continues to do Zumba and I laughed remembering Hayley making fun of me doing Zumba. \u00a0I asked her did she have a new love for reality tv. \u00a0YES, since her transplant she watches the Kardashians and doesn’t even like them. \u00a0I cried and smiled, Hayley’s heart would be happy. \u00a0I asked about food cravings! \u00a0She had not eaten meat for many years and now she craves steak all the time, one of Hayley’s top 5 foods. \u00a0She can’t get enough chips and salsa! \u00a0I don’t know if I believe it has anything to do with her new heart. \u00a0But it is fun to think that my girl is influencing her life in some way.<\/p>\n
Hayley has done more than save Elena’s life. \u00a0She has saved three children from losing their mother. \u00a0She saved a mother from losing her daughter. \u00a0She saved a sister from losing her sister. \u00a0Elena has indicated how much Hayley’s story has inspired her. \u00a0She refers to it as Hayley’s heart. \u00a0I think the thing that gripped me the most was when she told me Hayley’s heart was so strong that they have to medicate her to combat its strength. \u00a0Her heart is big for Elena’s little body. But we all know Hayley had a big heart in all ways.<\/p>\n
When we began talking about meeting I told her about my friend, Marni, a local news anchor, filming Hayley’s story. \u00a0It was scheduled to air soon. \u00a0I told her about how seeing Bob Conner’s story on the news on father’s day had initiated my conversation with Hayley about organ donorship. \u00a0I was hoping she would be willing to film our meeting. \u00a0We have the opportunity to reach thousands of people, to inspire them with Hayley’s gifts to be donors themselves. \u00a0I was shocked to learn that her own daughter had received a heart transplant as an infant. \u00a0If or when her daughter needs another transplant it could be from someone that saw our story, made the courageous choice to donate and saved lives just like Hayley did. \u00a0She agreed and we set the date of May 6th.<\/p>\n
We decided to meet at my brother’s home in Orting. \u00a0This was exactly in the middle of our two homes. \u00a0This also gave Scott the option to be involved. \u00a0He chose not to attend this meeting. \u00a0He just was not ready. \u00a0Since last week he has been interested in learning more about Elena and is looking forward to watching the story when it airs on Tuesday. \u00a0He even sent her a FB friend request today. \u00a0I was sad that we didn’t share the moment together but grateful that we have such respect for each other and our journeys alone and together.<\/p>\n
A few days before our planned meeting Elena asked if we could speak on the phone. \u00a0She was nervous about the filming idea. \u00a0When I answered the phone I was taken aback by the fact that she had such a cute accent. \u00a0Duh, Dawn, she was from Peru. \u00a0Yet this had never occurred to me. \u00a0We talked for 45 minutes. \u00a0I told her how important this was and she was able to get past her nerves.<\/p>\n
On Sunday I was a nervous wreck. \u00a0I was bitchy, emotional and barely able to breathe. \u00a0I was nervous about two things, being filmed (aka being fat on film) and how would I react to hearing my child’s heart. \u00a0If I let my brain go to far and think of the actually physical science behind the act I felt nauseas and \u00a0knew I couldn’t handle the day. \u00a0On top of all that I could not find the stethoscope I had ordered. \u00a0My amazing sister in law called around and found one at a Walgreens and despite the fact that strangers were descending on her home AND it was her birthday, she drove to get it for me. \u00a0Once I had a xanax on board I was able to go to the store, pick up fixings for a bbq and head south. \u00a0I shook my head in the car thinking, I am having a bbq to meet my daughter’s heart. \u00a0When Marni arrived shortly after me, we came up with the plan. \u00a0They would wait out front for Elena and interview her briefly and put her mic on. \u00a0I was already wired for sound. \u00a0I would then answer the door when she knocked. \u00a0My family, brother, sister in law and two nieces watched out the window as Marni and a wonderful cameraman watched for Elena. \u00a04:00 was our meeting time. \u00a0Crap, I forgot to tell them about Elena time! \u00a0At about 4:15 my sister said she was there and described her. \u00a0I told them to stop spying. \u00a0When the door knock came I took a deep breath and opened the door.<\/p>\n
We embraced, she is so much smaller than me! \u00a0How can someone so small be so mighty? \u00a0I couldn’t stop hugging her. \u00a0I hugged her until it may have been awkward. \u00a0She handed me yellow flowers. \u00a0I looked to Marni, what now? \u00a0We headed to the back yard and sat. \u00a0I couldn’t stop staring at her and her scars. \u00a0My mind was numb from trying to comprehend that my daughter’s heart was right there below the surface. \u00a0We were a bit awkward I think because we were being filmed. \u00a0I can only hope they edit it so we appear calm and collected, lol. \u00a0We exchanged gifts. \u00a0I had brought her a Hayley glassy baby that I had purchased for her before I knew her. \u00a0She gave me a teddy bear with what looked like a speaker with it. \u00a0I knew immediately what she planned to do and I was overwhelmed. \u00a0She plans to record her heart beat on the 24th when she has her next biopsy and therefore an Echocardiogram. \u00a0 She even asked if I wanted to go with her. \u00a0What an absolutely perfect gift. \u00a0I am excited to be able to listen to Hayley’s heart at home where I can ugly cry without witnesses!<\/p>\n
I asked if I could use the stethoscope. \u00a0I cannot tell you how I felt because even I am not sure. \u00a0I am still trying to process my emotions from that moment. \u00a0It may sound silly but I knew that sound! \u00a0She said “you made that heart”. \u00a0I started to lose it but pulled back emotionally and made a crack about our gene pool. \u00a0Awkward. \u00a0I clamped down so hard on my emotions I could feel my heart cramping. \u00a0But I had to do that. \u00a0My mind still cannot process Hayley’s death completely. \u00a0If I thought too hard about what I was hearing I knew I would crack. \u00a0I had to pull from a pool of strength I didn’t know I still possessed.<\/p>\n
My sister in law, brother and niece listened too. \u00a0They all had the same reaction, tears of joy and amazement. \u00a0Even Marni who had met Hayley on a few occasions listened in awe at the wonderful heart that was beating on. \u00a0If I had gotten to pick her recipient I could not have picked a more worthy woman than Elena. \u00a0She is kind, funny and real. \u00a0Just like Hayley.<\/p>\n
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Our story will air on Tuesday, May 15th at 9:00 p.m. on JoeTV, locally 110 and again on Q13 Fox news at 10:00 p.m. on channel 113. \u00a0Depending on the news cycle it will air again on Q13 at 4:00 or 5:00 on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
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For the last week I have tried to figure out what to write about May 6th. \u00a0I posted photos and videos from my meeting with Hayley’s heart recipient. \u00a0The response is overwhelming. \u00a0Over 100 comments and messages. \u00a0Nearly 400 “likes”. \u00a0I knew the day was special but had no idea it would touch so many … <\/p>\n