Family, Friends, and Colleagues: Our eleven-week old daughter Shay was recently diagnosed with a serious heart defect and remains hospitalized at the University of Michigan Mott Children's Hospital. She is on a ventilator and currently waiting for a heart transplant, which is the only way that her problem can be treated; her defect is fatal, and she likely does not have much time to wait. Because Shay weighs only about seven pounds, the pool of potential donors is very limited. Her smaller size limits a donor heart to somewhere between the size of a newborn and a child of approximately one year of age. Unfortunately, organ donation is not well publicized, and individuals who are in the unfortunate position to make such a difficult choice are not always aware of their options, or of their ability to save someone else's life. This is where my family and I respectfully seek your assistance. We ask that you communicate my daughter's need for a life-saving transplant to any medical professionals or potential donors' families that you happen to know. It only takes one person to make a difference, so the more people that know of Shay's circumstances, the more chance we have of success. Our family would be indebted to you if you could just spread the word to others. We would be more than happy to discuss this with you or anyone seeking to help so they could put a face and a voice to their possible gift of life. If someone you know believes he or she can help, please have them contact us directly at 248-737-3656 or amziff27@comcast.net. Thank you again for your time, consideration, and any help that you may lend us. Lisa and Adam Ziff |