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Parents Share Final Moments With Age 2 Daughter Who Died While Waiting for New Heart

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Every expectant mother hopes for the birth of a healthy child. For a Kentucky couple, life for one of their children would begin with a struggle.

Adalynn Rogers was born with a congenital heart defect. The defect was so severe that she began waiting for a heart transplant. But the transplant would never come.

In an attempt to help little Adalynn, doctors implanted a right ventricular assist device, a machine to help her weakened heart pump blood. It worked, for a while.

But there were complications and they led 2-year old Adalynn to the hospital where it was discovered that brain damage had occurred, due to a lack of oxygen. A blood clot had formed because of the implanted device and had traveled to her brain.

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Adalynn’s short life hung in the balance and soon it was determined that she would no longer be able to receive a heart transplant because of the damage. Her family was devastated, knowing that their daughter would soon pass away.

In a hope to create awareness for organ donation, the family contacted the founder of World of Broken Hearts, Suha Dabit. The organization raises awareness of congenital heart defects as well as organ donation.

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Dabit gave the family a priceless gift. She took amazing and heart-felt photographs of the family saying their last goodbyes to a precious little life.

“Although I knew it would be extremely hard to take these images, I knew that these will be their last memories of her captured,” said Dabit.  The photos are joyous and heart-breaking all at the same time, celebrating a life while losing a treasured loved one.”

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Dabit herself had nearly experienced what this family was now going through. Her own daughter was born with a heart defect, but was able to receive a transplant.

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Her parents, Justin and Kristi,  gathered around the small body of Adalynn, holding her and whispering loving words. Her three siblings were there as well, the sadness visible in their faces.

“I felt Kristi’s unconditional love for Addy and the excruciating pain. It was hard, I could barely hold it together,” said Dabit. “I left with a piece of my heart missing.”

The images are more than the capture of one family’s grief and love for a child lost. The family hopes that they will help create awareness so that other families will not have to say goodbye to their children.

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Dabit talked about the need for funding to create a cure for congenital heart defects. The bereaved mother is also advocating for awareness and research.

Kristi posted a link to raise money for research, stating “My hope is for CHD to become a thing of the past so that no other mommy and daddy have to know the pain of losing their baby to something people don’t know exists!”

The goal was for $2,000 to be raised, but in two days generous viewers contributed over $8,000. Baby Addy’s story has touched so many hearts, and many people can get behind this cause.

Hopefully though this family has experienced what no parent should ever have to face, they will be able to bring awareness to the need for organ donors.

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