Hospital staff lines halls and honors tiny organ donor with rendition of ‘Amazing Grace’
Every child deserves a chance to live their life to the fullest, but tragically, that’s something that doesn’t always happen. Tear-jerking footage of a little baby girl named Coralynn of her final moments on Earth has been shared by her mom Meagan Sobolik, and it’s both heartwarming as it is heartbreaking.
The hospital staff sing “Amazing Grace” to Coralynn on her final journey, moments before her organs are about to be donated.
Just six days earlier, everything was going fine with baby Coralynn or Cora, for short. That all changed when she got infected with a virus and had numerous complications. She had difficulties breathing, after which her parents took her to the nearest hospital right away.
The poor girl had already suffered from three cardiac arrests during her time at the hospital and was severely struggling. After five terrible days, doctors declared Coralynn brain dead due to a parainfluenza infection and the very severe complications.
Cora, who was only 22 months old, will save three other lives as her parents decided to donate her heart, kidneys, and liver.
Doctors did there absolute best to save the little girl but to no avail. They needed to transfer her to the Mayo Clinic Hospital in Rochester, but Coralynn needed to be sedated for the trip over there. Unfortunately, her heart gave out while they were sedating her.
For almost half an hour, doctors performed CPR on her. Coralynn’s parents and her grandmother were relieved to hear that she was finally stabilized, but there was terrible news. Coralynn’s heart was beating again, but her brain was damaged because it hadn’t received blood for so long.
“I dropped to my knees and cried and kept saying, ‘No, no, no, God, no.’ I then felt numb and felt empty.”
After a CAT scan, doctors concluded that there was no chance of recovery anymore, and the girl was taken off life support.
“There is now no chance of our little girl recovering but she is still with us and is in the process of organ donation. She became an angel today but tomorrow morning or tomorrow afternoon she will go into surgery and become a superhero and give the wonderful gift of life to up to eight different people that are in desperate need of these organs. We have tonight to be with Cora and will give her the most love we have ever given her yet,” mom shared on her Facebook page.
The decision was then made to donate her organs so that Coralynn could save other people as her final act.
Mom Meagan and dad Paul decided to share a video of their daughter’s final moments, and the tear-jerking footage has been seen by millions on the internet.
“I love you forever, you’re the best thing that ever happened to me,” mom said in the video. “You get to save three people. I love you forever”.
When patients are prepared for and brought into surgery for organ donation, it usually is a very important event in the hospital. It’s referred to as an Honor Walk or Walk of Respect, but the term ‘Superhero Walk’ was also given for Cora. It’s a serene, yet at the same time heartbreaking moment that leaves everyone speeches – family and hospital staff alike.
Coralynn’s Walk of Respect was recorded for parents Meagan and Paul to remember. It was practically a beautiful ceremony as everyone started singing “Amazing Grace” for the brave little girl.
“I was speechless, and it was truly wonderful to see and feel so much love and support for our little girl”, mom recalls. “The doctor that took care of her came in on his day off to the be the first in line and also the last one to be with us when they shut the elevator doors to take her to surgery. The nursing staff was amazing to us … They gave us so much comfort and support while we were there, it was amazing.”
“It also adds comfort to me to see [Coralyn] again and confirm what we did was the right thing to do.”
Her heart lives on in a one-year-old boy, a little girl received her liver and Coralynn’s kidneys have been donated to a 41-year-old woman. She saved three different people.
“She is going to be living on within three different people. She isn’t really gone, she lives on in her legacy.”
Parents Meagan and Paul now hope that their little girl’s story can be an inspiration and will help save additional lives.
“Our daughter was absolutely the world to us. She was such a happy little girl and always laughing — her laugh was infectious. Cora is our little superhero. And I believe is becoming an inspiration for millions of people and also helping to raise awareness for organ donation all over the world,” they concluded.
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Source: Coralynn Angels, People, GoFundMe, Meagan Sobolik