HOLLYWOOD, Fla. – A woman whose daughter underwent a heart transplant at Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital is using Facebook to update thousands of people about the girl's progress.
Layla Paul was born with a heart defect that made her first year and a half of life almost unbearable.
"Basically, she had half of a heart," said Dr. Frank Scholl with Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital. "Instead of two main pumping chambers or ventricles, she had one."
Her one heart chamber was weak and was barely pumping blood and oxygen to the rest of her body.
As Paul's heart failed, she and her mother, Amena Khan, spent eight months at Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital where doctors worked to keep her healthy enough for a heart transplant.
Khan keeps her spirits up by running a Facebook page called "Layla's Miracle Heart," which has more than 17,000 followers.
"She is going through this fight, she's touching lives, and she's definitely changed mine," said Khan.
Paul received a new heart two months ago. Doctors reconstructed the arteries around her heart during the transplant.
"One of the fantastic things about being in this field is literally every day we do get to innovate and come up with new things in order to help children and patients with congenital heart disease," said Scholl.
"Just to see her thrive and develop, be with other kids, just live a life like a normal kid," said Khan.
All of the money raised during the Tour De Broward will be donated to the pediatric cardiac center at Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital.
The Tour De Broward is on Feb. 24.