Cordelia, a name chosen for her 3 years before her birth, means “heart”. We didn’t know its meaning when it was chosen; we picked it simply because it was a family name we liked. To our shock, our beautiful 9 pound daughter didn’t breathe at birth and after 27 hours in the NICU passed away. Her name became even more special to us when we were asked to donate her heart valves. She is a deeply loved and missed daughter, sister, cousin, grandchild, great-grandchild, and niece. We grieve for her everyday but take comfort in the fact that all she gave and all she knew was love. Her short life has positively influenced more people than most of us get to do in a much longer lifetime.
We chose a tree with 5 leaves to represent each member of her immediate family. it also signifies the 4 seasons we were given to celebrate her life (during pregnancy), and all 4 seasons that have passed in the year since her death. The heart on the tree trunk represents her name, her tissue donation, and the love she was and continues to be surrounded with.
Submitted by: Krista, Donor Mother
