Malia Izabel Melendez July 7th 06-Dec 23rd 06

by Starr Melendez
(Oklahoma City, OK)

Malia was the youngest of 3, my second daughter. She was born with Hypoplastic Left Heart and required 3 open heart surgeries. she had the 1st surgery when she was 1 week old, a week after that she came home for the 1st time. Malia was so beautiful, so tiny with black curls and 2 beautiful dimples you could see every time she smiled.

Malia loved to stick her tongue out at people, and when they would do it back it she would so smile so big and giggle. She was the heart of our family.

In Oct 06 Malia went back in for her 2nd open heart surgery. It was the beginning of the end. Malia had so many complications, her aorta kept closing up, so the dr's had to do 2 heart caths to open it back up, she was not able to come off the breathing machine after the 2nd one. She started bleeding internally and her stomach shut down, she had pneumonia so many times and was on breathing treatments, she also had cerebral edema, which was caused by a stroke no one knew she had had.

I could go on and on about her complications, but if changes nothing, Malia is still gone, she died Dec 23rd in her Father's arms and it's a memory I wish I never had, for you see I died that day also. The decision to let Malia go is the hardest decision I have ever had to make, she was and still is our world. I am a better person to have known and loved her, not many people got that chance.

I know in my heart Malia is still with me today, watching over us until the day I can once again hold her in my arms, right where she belongs. Malia may be gone, but never forgotten.