A Cincinnati, Ohio, mother has been fighting for almost three years for her toddler’s life.
When her baby, Aubrie Shears, was only 3 months old, she was diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy and had a heart transplant before she was even half a year old.
Now, Aubrie is in desperate need of her second transplant, and according to her mother, Mariah Morrow, if she does not receive it she will only live for a few more months, reports WLWT 5.
The mother believes that sharing her child’s story will make a difference in the family’s plight.
“We luckily got a heart within a month. That was a miracle within itself,” Morrow told the local station, explaining that the child was fortunate to have responded exceptionally well. However, in 2023, the family’s worst nightmares returned.
“Then January of this year, she was at her dad’s house, and I got a call at like 3 in the morning and he said, she’s not breathing,” the mom said.
The toddler had to be hospitalized and placed on life support. After learning how to walk again and achieve some degree of normalcy, in May she had another disappointment. Aubrie went into cardiac arrest during her biopsy appointment.
The mom said, “I just felt like it was different. And this time it was worse. You know, they said that she needs a new heart at this point and she wouldn’t be viable to get a transplant until March of 2024. They don’t know if she’ll make it until then.”
“Even if she does, she has coronary artery disease as well. So it would infect the new heart, and she gets worse. So, it’s kind of like a it is a something that’s inevitable, kind of, you know.”
The toddler is on a heart transplant list. As the family waits, they are working to make sure her last days are enjoyable and praying that she makes it until the next year.
One of the ways they are doing this is by taking her to see the Cincinnati Reds on her father’s lap, according to ABC 6.
Another way is letting her cruise in her red G-Wagon.
A GoFundMe was set up in May to support the family during these times and to help with funeral costs.
“You have no idea how much this means to me and my family,” Siera Morrow, who organized the fundraiser and identifies herself as Mariah’s sister, wrote in her appeal.
As of now, they have collected nearly $16,000, aiming to reach their target of $60,000.
