Gift Of Life: Ohio Mom Finds Healing Listening To Daughter’s Heart In Young Transplant Recipient

In the summer of 2024, a quiet park in Ohio became the setting for a powerful and emotional meeting: the family of 8-year-old Maddy Schein, who had died in a tragic ATV accident, embraced Mireya Moody, the young girl whose life was saved by Maddys donated heart.

The encounter between Mireya and Maddys mother, Lisa Schein, was marked by a long, tearful hug that cemented a lifelong bond between two families linked by grief, generosity, and hope. Videos of the meeting were recently shared by Cleveland Clinic Children’s Hospital.

After Maddys death, her family made the courageous decision to donate her organs. According to Lifeline of Ohio, four lives were saved through Maddys donations — one of them being Mireyas.

Mireya was only four years old when she was diagnosed with left ventricular non-compaction (LVNC) cardiomyopathy, a rare and serious heart condition. Despite medical intervention, Mireyas condition deteriorated to the point where a heart transplant was her only hope. Temporarily sustained by a Berlin Heart, a device that assists the heart in pumping blood, she and her family waited anxiously for a donor. That call came on April 2, 2022.

“Its a conflicting feeling of relief but also guilt. I had been praying for this day, but I knew what it meant for another family,” said Mireyas mother, Bianca Robinson.

“Pediatric heart transplants have seen significant advancements over the years, giving children like Mireya a second chance at life,” said Dr. Hani Najm, a pediatric and congenital heart surgeon at Cleveland Clinic Childrens Hospital. “However, the key to this life-saving surgery still lies with those who become organ donors.”

Following a successful transplant at Cleveland Clinic Childrens, Mireya underwent extensive rehabilitation, regaining strength and mobility with the help of speech, occupational, and physical therapy. Today, she continues to thrive under the care of her pediatric cardiologist, Dr. Gerard Boyle, who affectionately described her as “a delightful child.

“She is a delightful child. She makes us all laugh,” Boyle said. “When she comes into the catheterization lab, shes singing.”

Schein and Robinson connected about a year after Mireyas transplant. Through sharing stories, they were amazed at how much Mireya and Maddy had in common — from their bubbly personalities to a shared love of stuffed toys. At their first meeting, the Schein family gifted Mireya a cuddly avocado-shaped plush toy. Mireya named it “Maddy,” and now sleeps with it every night.

“I also loved being able to tell them stories about who Maddy was — about her infectious laugh and bubbly personality,” Schein said. “I think thats when my heart began to start healing.”

Their story stands as a powerful reminder of how profound loss can lead to new life — and how the generosity of organ donation continues to save and transform lives every day.