Victoria-Jane was only five months old when she was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy, a heart disease that makes it hard for the heart to pump blood throughout her body. Sixteen months after Victoria-Jane was born she was listed for a life-saving heart transplant. Her mother, Paola, had to stop working to care for Victoria-Jane while she was listed on the transplant waitlist. During this stressful time, the Foundation assisted the family with expenses like their mortgage, food, gas, parking, and cell phone bills. This financial support allowed the family to focus more time on caring for Victoria-Jane while maintaining financial stability as Victoria-Jane’s father Widnyck continued to work and helped Paola care for the family’s three children.

Eventually, Victoria-Jane became too sick to be at home and she was admitted into CHU Sainte-Justine in Montreal. She was put on a ventricle assist device to help her heart pump blood while her family waited for the call they so desperately hoped for.

After a year and a half of waiting the family finally received the news that there was a heart available for Victoria-Jane. Paola remembers it as the “biggest gift ever.” The heart transplant was a success and now Victoria-Jane and her family are back at home. While Victoria-Jane must take daily medication, Paola says that she is full of energy and always in a good mood. As a family, Paola acknowledges that they all “appreciate life and our loved ones more” post-transplant.