After months of waiting in a Charlotte hospital, 4-year-old Sofia Volz has received the heart transplant her family had been hoping and praying for.
Sofia, a Seven Lakes girl born with a rare and severe congenital heart defect, recently underwent the transplant at Levine Children’s Hospital. Just three days after surgery, her mother, Angelica Volz, said Sofia was already making remarkable progress.
“She is doing incredible,” Angelica said. “She is really and truly blowing everyone away.”
Sofia was born May 16, 2022, with hypoplastic left heart syndrome. She underwent her first open-heart surgery within 36 hours of birth and later had a second surgery at Duke University Hospital.
Her family spent months waiting for a donor heart while Sofia remained hospitalized in Charlotte. That wait finally ended when the family received the call that a heart was available.
The transplant surgery finished on her younger brother’s second birthday, a detail Angelica said made the day even more meaningful for the family.
“He’ll have many more years with his best friend,” she said.
Now, Sofia is recovering from the operation and taking strides that have surprised even those caring for her. She has been taken off her breathing tube, has come off nearly all of her medication drips, and has had one of her chest tubes removed. She is also off nitric oxide, according to her mother.
On the third day after surgery, Sofia even walked a full lap around the hospital unit with her best friend, who is also awaiting a transplant.
“It’s been a long journey, but every single day has been worth the wait,” Angelica said.
The family now hopes Sofia’s recovery continues smoothly. If her immunosuppressant medications remain within the appropriate limits and everything continues to go well, Angelica said Sofia could potentially return home in as little as two weeks.
And Sofia already has big plans.
“She can’t wait to get home and ride around in the golf cart,” Angelica laughed.
While the family celebrates Sofia’s transplant, they are also using her story to raise awareness about the need for organ donors. Angelica said there are currently 286 children on the transplant list, along with many other patients waiting for lifesaving organs.
“There are a lot of kiddos up here waiting for a long time,” she said.
The Volz family hopes sharing Sofia’s journey will encourage more people to learn about organ donation and consider becoming donors.
For Angelica, the experience has shown how one of the hardest moments a family can face can give another family a chance at life.
“Just sharing in the hardest time in life has given us the gift to save our daughter’s life,” she said. “We’re so grateful.”
The family plans to continue sharing Sofia’s recovery and journey through her Facebook page, with the hope that her story reaches other families facing similar circumstances and encourages others to consider organ donation.
“We really just want to spread awareness and hope,” Angelica added.
For now, the Volz family is focused on getting Sofia home and watching her continue to recover, grateful for the donor whose gift gave their daughter another chance.
Photo and video via the Volz family.
Abegail Murphy | Assistant Editor
Written by Sandhills Sentinel assistant editor Abegail Murphy. Abegail has been writing for Sandhills Sentinel since 2021.
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