In August, Sofia Sanchez, an 11-year-old girl in need of a new heart, went viral for her take on the popular “Kiki Challenge” — so much so that Drake himself came by the hospital to visit. Now, one month later, Sanchez is thriving after a successful heart transplant surgery.
Sanchez had cardiomyopathy, which went undiagnosed for weeks as her mother, Natalie Sanchez, tried to find a doctor who could help.
“I knew she was sick, I was carrying her around for six weeks from doctor to doctor,” Natalie told Good Morning America on Thursday. “Everyone was diagnosing her with asthma and psychological issues. Everything but the heart.”
Doctors at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital in Chicago finally reached the correct diagnosis, determining that the only solution would be a complete heart transplant. Sofia was put on the transplant waiting list, but there was nothing else they could do but keep her stable until a heart was available.
“She had 12 percent of her heart pumping, so it’s barely squeezing,” Natalie said. “It’s horrible, it’s a waiting game.”
Sofia was still waiting for a new heart when Drake made a surprise visit to her room.
“I froze. I was like, is this a dream, or is this not a dream?” she told GMA. “I was like, oh my god.”
And her luck only soared from there — one week later, the Sanchez family learned that there was a donor heart for Sofia.
After a nine-hour operation, she’s out of the hospital and in recovery. Sofia is now urging others to consider organ donation.
“It’s important for everyone to donate their good organs to other people, to give them a second chance at life,” she said. “Because even though a tragedy happens, something good comes out of it.”