Keora Truong was our little sweetheart—born with Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome (HLHS), a rare and severe congenital heart defect, she faced more challenges in her five years than most of us will in a lifetime.

At just 20 weeks gestation, our family learned of Keora’s diagnosis. HLHS typically requires three major reconstructive heart surgeries just to survive infancy. She was born on August 16, 2020, at the University of Washington Medical Center and immediately transported to Seattle Children’s Hospital, where she was admitted to the Cardiac ICU. At only two days old, Keora underwent her first open-heart surgery.

Over the next several months, she continued to fight. At around three months old, Keora required her second major heart surgery, once again facing complications. Her heart rate soared into the 200s, and it took intensive medical intervention and IV medications to stabilize her. Despite every setback, she persevered.

Eventually, Keora went into severe heart failure and was listed as a Status 1A—the most critical level—on the pediatric heart transplant list. In what felt like a miracle, she received a donor heart in just eight days. After nearly ten months in the hospital, Keora finally came home to her family.

For the first time, it felt like we had a “normal” little girl. Her color improved, her blue-tinged lips faded, and she could breathe without oxygen support. She was lively, funny, sassy, and full of joy—quickly becoming the light of our family. Every day with her felt like a Disney adventure.

Life after transplant was never easy, but Keora faced it bravely. She endured frequent hospital visits for labs, biopsies, and annual heart catheterizations. Still, she smiled, laughed, and loved deeply.

Everything changed on September 2, 2025 (two days after serving as the best flower girl at her uncle's wedding as pictured in the cover photo), when Keora was admitted to the hospital again—this time for gastrointestinal bleeding and severe abdominal pain. After a colonoscopy, she was diagnosed with Post-Transplant Lymphoproliferative Disorder (PTLD), a rare and life-threatening condition that can occur after organ transplants.

While doctors worked to determine a treatment plan, Keora’s body began to fail. On September 19, 2025, she became septic. Multiple organs shut down, and she was placed on ECMO—a last-resort life support machine—for one week. When she came off ECMO, we allowed ourselves to hope again. But despite every effort, Keora stopped responding to treatments and therapies. Her tiny body had endured more than it could bear.

For the final four months of her life, Keora remained in the ICU, fighting sepsis and multi-organ failure. Her parents never left her side, taking extended unpaid leave from work and facing mounting financial strain—simply to ensure she was never alone.

We want to give Keora the beautiful, peaceful resting place she deserves—a proper burial at a cemetery close to her grandparents’ home, where her family can visit her every day. 100% of the funds raised will go toward her funeral and burial costs, and any remaining support will help her parents with living expenses as they take unpaid time off to mourn (they've long depleted their PTO/FMLA because they've been by Keora's side for the past four months).

From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for being here and for holding space for our family during the most painful moment of our lives. Your support, whether through a donation, a prayer, or simply sharing Keora’s story, means everything to us. Knowing that Keora is surrounded by so much love—even from those who never met her—reminds us that her life, though short, made a profound impact. Thank you for loving our sweet girl and for walking with us through this heartbreak.