Makayla Brown

Pediatric Heart Recipient

“Makayla, whom we call KK, was born with congenital heart disease. When she was 2 years old, she went into heart failure which started us on the journey towards heart transplant. She was on the waitlist for 470 days, waiting for her miracle.” shared Iesha, Makayla’s mom.

“When KK was first listed on the transplant list and came to the hospital, she was so shy and didn’t really talk to other people. Throughout this experience, she has really come out of her shell and become more independent. A few months after being in the hospital she started exploring the whole unit and talking to everyone along the way while pushing her baby dolls around in their carriage. Her heart failure started getting worse and in January of 2025, she got a Berlin Heart; a ventricular assist device designed to support children with heart failure while they wait for a transplant. I saw the biggest change in KK’s health when she got the Berlin Heart, which gave me hope while we waited.

When I got the call that a heart was available for her, I was speechless. I wanted to call everyone I knew and tell them, but I had to wait for confirmation that it was a match. It was a perfect match. I’ve never felt so happy, joyful and grateful. We had been waiting for that call for a very long time.

Makayla’s heart transplant was the biggest blessing for us, and our entire family is so grateful. The donor hero who donated to her was another child, and I want to say thank you to those parents for making the selfless decision for their child to be an organ donor because it gave my baby more life. KK’s story is a story of hope, especially for other children who are waiting for a transplant. If you are currently waiting for a transplant, I would tell you to stay strong and keep your head up, even if it is exhausting and hectic.

I am now a registered organ donor because of this experience, and I wasn’t before. I was being selfish and didn’t want to consider donating my organs to others. Now I personally understand the impact that it will have on the next person and how many people are waiting for a second chance at life, including children like my daughter. If you are hesitant about donation, I would encourage you to think about the impact you could have on others. If you were in this situation, you would want someone to make the decision to save your life.

Thanks to her donor hero, Makayla now has the opportunity to enjoy the childhood she almost didn’t have. She is now four years old. KK celebrated two birthdays while in the hospital so now we want to celebrate every chance we get. We had a party for her one-year anniversary after her heart transplant and a big celebration for our walk out when we got to leave the hospital after 570 days total. She loves Dora the Explorer and Elsa from Frozen. She loves to go to the beach and play in the sand. She even says she wants to be a nurse one day and loves to take care of her ‘sick’ baby dolls by giving them shots, checking their temperatures and changing their dressings. She loves spending time with her brothers and sisters and is a social butterfly who talks to everyone. This experience has changed our lives so much, but we are so grateful for Makayla’s miracle through her heart transplant.”