BOSTON (WHDH) — A brave little girl who has struggled with a heart condition since birth received the gift of life just in time for Valentine’s Day.
On Valentine’s Day, we all know that a heart stands for “love,” but for a Wakefield family it means “life.”
“A heart means that our daughter is going to be around a lot longer than she was going to be,” said Michael Murphy, Katy’s father.
Five-year-old Katy Murphy has been waiting for two and half years for a heart transplant. She was born with a heart defect.
“It’s one of those things when every time the phone rings at night, you wonder if it’s the call. Always having a bag packed, always worrying, ‘Do I have my phone on me at all times?’ And you’re constantly worrying that you’re going to run out of time,” Michael Murphy said.
Her wait finally came to an end this week.
“My daughter actually got to call up my wife and put her on speaker phone, and she said, ‘Mommy, I’m getting my heart transplant tonight,’” Michael Murphy said.
After a five-hour surgery, Katy has a new heart. Her family is grateful, but they also know another family has suffered a tremendous loss.
“Our heart really goes out to them in their time of grief that they could take the time to make that precious gift and we really hope that more people do that,” Michael Murphy said.
It’s still going to be a long journey for Katy’s family, as her parent lost their jobs. To help them out, click here! To learn more about the Murphy family, visit their blog.
via Girl, 5, receives heart transplant in Boston – Boston News, New England News, WHDH-TV 7NEWS WHDH.COM.