Carrie grins when she talks about her daughter. “Sadie Rose’s name describes her perfectly. She’s sweet, caring, and generous. But she’s also got thorns—she’s tough, and she’s got spunk!”
Sadie has relied on that toughness more than any 8-year-old should. Carrie describes Sadie’s diagnosis with a rare lung condition called pulmonary veno-occlusive disease (PVOD) as her family’s worst nightmare.
A lung transplant was Sadie’s only hope, and only one place on the entire West Coast has a pediatric program capable of performing it.
Only-at-Stanford Care
On a warm September day in 2022, Carrie was chaperoning Sadie’s school field trip to the zoo. Sadie complained of a sore throat and stomachache, and she was a little out of breath.
“I thought she was coming down with a cold,” Carrie remembers. But Sadie’s symptoms worsened, and discomfort turned into 911 calls, ER visits, and specialist referrals. When it became clear that she needed a lung transplant, Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford was the obvious choice for her care.
Stanford is a national leader in pediatric solid organ transplants and performs the highest volume of procedures in our region. What’s more, we are the only pediatric lung transplant center on the West Coast.
As a former nurse, Carrie was immediately impressed with the world-class facilities at Packard Children’s. Her confidence grew even more when she met Sadie’s team of experts, who provided compassionate care and “watched her like a hawk” while they waited for donor lungs—a process that lasted 11 months.
In December 2023, the call finally came: “We had a match!” Carrie recalls. “Nothing prepares you for news like that.”
Sadie’s medical team sprang into action, keeping her family updated every step of the way.
Her surgery was a success, and Carrie will never forget when her little girl emerged from anesthesia. “I could see the tiniest hint of a Sadie smile. My baby was healing! She was getting better! We had a long road ahead of us, but we were on our way.”
From Loneliness to Childhood Joy
Sadie spent about a year in and out of the hospital, including about a month post-transplant. To keep her safe while her lungs were vulnerable, Sadie was often isolated to her room and was lonely. Carrie’s heart broke thinking about her spunky little girl passing day after day in a hospital room, deprived of the opportunity to play or interact with other children.
Thankfully, Sadie received regular visits from the hospital’s Child Life and Creative Arts teams, made possible by the generous support of 아동 기금 donors like you. Child Life Specialists would play games with Sadie, giving her company and something fun to look forward to during her day. They also provided distractions like stress balls and iPads loaded with her favorite shows during frightening procedures . Sadie’s music therapists even recorded Sadie singing a hymn to the rhythm of her own heartbeat!
Hyun A Lee, MA, LMFT, ATR, is an art therapist and a member of Sadie’s dedicated team. She would suit up in full protective gear to keep Sadie healthy during their visits. “Art therapy was a gentle, guiding light for Sadie, providing a secure environment to express herself during her challenging journey,” says Hyun A. “It offered essential developmental support and allowed her resilience to blossom.”
Giggling Once Again, Thanks to Donors Like You
Sadie is now back home with her family. She enjoys dancing, practicing the violin, and playing with her big sister, Colette.
Carrie’s heart fills with joy every time she hears Sadie laugh. She remembers when just a giggle would set off a coughing fit. “I am happy to report that Sadie laughs all the time now!” Carrie says with a grin.
