‘Flying through the sky’: A family’s journey through death, new life

Flying through the sky A familys journey through death new

After her daughter, Zeynah, died, Maryam De Groef came across a drawing the nine-year-old girl had made, showing a rainbow and a smiling heart.

After her daughter Zeynah died, Maryam De Groef came across a drawing the nine-year-old girl had made, showing a rainbow and a smiling heart.

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Added to the drawing were the words: “I want to be as happy as a heart flying through the sky.”

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In a twist of fate, the little girl’s heart did end up flying through the sky, out of province to a 10-year-old girl, in addition to six other organs including her eyes, liver, kidneys and pancreas.

Zeynah De Groef drawing (Photo supplied by the family)

“Having this picture of what she drew and then having the image of her heart going off wherever it went, it just was so moving to see. . . and really helped to process that,” De Groef said.

In a city renowned for its organ transplant program at London Health Sciences Center (LHSC), De Groef shared the story of her daughter who died of cardiac arrest just shy of her 10th birthday, and the remarkably rare turn of events that allow Zeynah’s legacy to live on.

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De Groef, originally from the UK before moving to London, Ont., said her daughter was an energetic, compassionate soul with big dreams. Whether it was a peer on the playground, or an injured animal in the backyard, she showed immense care toward others.

“She was just a really special person, and everyone who met her was just in awe,” she said. “She could get on with a small child and then adults, and have these really deep conversations with them. . . (a) little bit like an old soul.”

Zeynah De Groef (Photo supplied by the family)
Zeynah De Groef (Photo supplied by the family)

Early on in Zeynah’s life, she was diagnosed with allergies and asthma. Her symptoms were typically mild and manageable, but last spring she was exposed to nuts she had never reacted to before.

A mild reaction turned into a four-day hospital battle that ended with her being declared brain dead. De Groef and her husband, always registered organ donors, offered an “unwavering yes,” when asked about donating Zeynah’s organs.

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“She was going back to the Earth, and why then would I not give those to someone who could use them?” she said. “I think that it was just so in line with her personality and what she would have done.”

LHSC doctors did 240 transplants through their multi-organ program in 2023, but with the high bar for donor organ eligibility, it’s rare for the public to catch a glimpse of how donations can change lives.

De Groef said people rarely think of kids as potential organ donors, and she wants to champion awareness to the issue and convince more people to sign up.

“It’s just such a slim chance, and I think sharing Zeynah’s story and highlighting how many lives can be impacted by just one person is really important to me,” she said.

Rishi Ganeson, a pediatric critical care unit and hospital donation doctor at LHSC, said less than three per cent of people who die in hospital become organ donors.

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He likes the donation process to an orchestra coming together for a performance.

The donors’ organs must be healthy, families must consent during a stressful time, and there must be a compatible recipient, all within a tight time frame. An added wrinkle in Zeynah’s case was her rare blood type.

“Think about it: on one hand, you’re sitting and having these conversations with care providers about how bad the injury is, there is a hope your child will still pull through, and then in that situation, a new concept is introduced. . . organ donation. That is very, very distressing,” Ganeson said. “I wish there were more families like them. . . Zeynah’s, but it’s difficult.”

While families and doctors are kept at arm’s length from the organ donation process, De Groef says she’d love to meet the young girl who received her daughter’s heart.

“I would love to meet her, and I would love to share all about the girl who gave everything. I would love to tell her all about Zeynah, and who she was and what she did and what she loved,” she said.

The Ontario Trillium Gift of Life Network, which manages organ donations, says there were 1,261 people in Ontario awaiting an organ transplant Thursday.

[email protected]
@jackmoulton65

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