2018 was kind to Sofia Sanchez: She got to meet her idol, Drake, and then she received a new heart.
Sofia Sanchez wanted two things in 2018: A visit from her idol, Drake, and a new heart.
She got both.
Eleven-year-old Sofia finally went home in September, after many weeks at the hospital, and is doing great.
"Thank you for the donor's family for donating their organs, if it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t be here now and would probably still be in the hospital," she said at a news conference as she was released.
And a grandmother got a new lease on life when she received the heart of a 14-year-old girl after battling congestive heart failure.
Vicky Johnson told Inside Edition she feels “like a kid that gets to grow up again.” But she knew her new heart came at a high cost.
Lauren Santoro's only child, 14-year-old Isabel, took her own life after allegedly being bullied. She had dreamed of being a doctor, so it seemed an apt decision to donate her heart.
Santoro later got to hear her daughter's heart inside Johnson's chest. “It was wonderful to hear her heart beating,” she said.
In Hamilton, Bermuda, a devoted dad dashed onstage when his daughter, Bella, suffered stage fright, joining in the ballet performance with moves he'd practiced with her for weeks beforehand.
“I asked if she wanted to dance with daddy and she nodded, so I thought I’d join in," father of three Marc Daniels told Caters News. "I’ve practiced with them at home on many occasions so it wasn't unfamiliar to me."
Daniels’ dance moves and heroic dad gesture got him wild applause from the audience, and an invite to join the performers during the next recital.
“Before having the girls I don’t think I’d ever attempted any ballet moves before,” he said. “Maybe it’s never too late to become a ballerina.”
Watch the above video to see more touching stories from 2018.
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