Parenthood is a journey filled with joy, love, and challenges. It’s a role that requires nurturing a newborn into adulthood over the course of 18 years, and even then, the job is never truly over.
The road is often bumpy, but it’s also one of the most rewarding experiences a person can have.
We take every precaution to protect our children.
From ensuring they’re securely fastened in their car seats as infants, to teaching them the importance of seatbelts as they grow older.
We feed them nutritious meals, maintain a regular sleep schedule, and caution them against potential dangers. Yet, ultimately, we must acknowledge that their fate is in the hands of God.
This was a lesson learned by an Iowa couple.
Meagan and Paul spent a year loving and caring for their little girl, Coralynn Eve Sobolik, affectionately known as Cora.
Despite their best efforts, Cora contracted a severe virus that rapidly deteriorated her health.
Cora was diagnosed with parainfluenza, which led to severe complications.
When Meagan and Paul noticed their baby girl struggling to breathe, they immediately rushed her to the hospital.
As Cora’s condition rapidly worsened, the decision was made to transfer her to Mayo Clinic Hospital in Rochester, Minnesota.
However, during the process of sedation and intubation for the journey, Cora’s heart stopped.
The medical team performed CPR on Cora for nearly 25 minutes, a harrowing scene that Meagan, Paul, and Cora’s grandmother could only watch helplessly.
Once stabilized, Cora was rushed to the hospital where doctors confirmed that her heart and echocardiogram were normal, but a CAT scan revealed that she had suffered brain damage.
Despite knowing that Cora would not be the same when she woke up, Paul and Meagan held onto hope.
They yearned for their little girl to open her eyes, to hold their hands, to hug them.
Tragically, they never got that chance.
Cora’s condition deteriorated further, and on Easter Sunday, Meagan and Paul received the news that Cora was brain dead.
Meagan recalls the moment, saying, “I dropped to my knees and cried and kept saying, ‘No, no, no, God, no.’ I then felt numb and felt empty.”
In the midst of their immense grief, Meagan and Paul found a glimmer of hope.
They decided to donate Cora’s organs to other children in need.
Meagan shared their decision stating:
“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.”
Many hospitals have begun honoring organ donors with a ceremony known as the Honor Walk or Walk of Respect.
As the patient is wheeled into surgery, doctors, nurses, hospital staff, and loved ones line the hallway, paying their respects to the individual who has chosen to give others a second chance at life.
This poignant moment was captured on video as Cora was led down the hospital’s hallways.
As she was wheeled down the corridor, everyone present sang “Amazing Grace” in her honor.
Meagan can be heard whispering, “You get to save three people. I love you forever.”
Despite the heartache they feel every time they watch the video, Meagan and Paul believe that Cora is watching with them in spirit.
“It also adds comfort to me to see Cora again and confirm what we did was the right thing to do,” Meagan shared. Cora’s story has touched many hearts.
Her heart was received by a one-year-old boy, her liver by a one-year-old girl, and her kidneys by a 41-year-old woman.
“She is going to be living with three different people. She isn’t really gone, she lives on in her legacy,” Meagan said.
Meagan and Paul hope that Cora’s story will inspire others to consider organ donation
Their little girl, who loved bubbles and being outside with her siblings, continues to live on in others and save lives in miraculous ways.
“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,” Meagan shared.
As Cora’s story continues to touch lives, it serves as a poignant reminder of the power of organ donation and the enduring spirit of a little girl who became a superhero.
Learn more about this heart-wrenching story in the video below.
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