Three young siblings with rare heart condition gain second life thanks to organ donors. For the last two years, Sara Siqueiros and her husband, Jason Sr., have been on a roller coaster ride after learning that their three children all had restrictive cardiomyopathy.
Siqueiros told "PEOPLE" that their four-year-old daughter Isabel and two-year-old twin sons, Jaxon and Jason, were diagnosed with rare conditions. The American Heart Association said that it happens when the ventricles stiffen.
As a result, the heart has a hard time pumping blood to the body's different parts. But since it has to, it causes the organ to fail in functioning.
Easier the second time around
The 32-year-old mom said that it was rough when their eldest was first diagnosed. They were afraid of what to expect, and when they found out that their twins also have them, it was a lot easier and less scary.
After the three kids received heart transplants at Phoenix Children's Hospital, they have a second life. It is all thanks to the medical team and the organ donors. Isabel underwent a heart transplant in May 2018. In June, Jason had his, and in September, Jaxon followed through.
Siqueiros said that Phoneix Children's Hospital had saved all her children and helped them have normal lives as much as it can. She does not worry about the future because she makes every day the best day of their lives.
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Symptoms showed after they turned one
The mom-of-three explained that all three children showed symptoms only when they were at least one year old. She shared the Isabel had pneumonia in January 2018, a couple of weeks after her second birthday.
After their daughter got worse, they brought her to Phoenix, and it was where they found out the condition. By March, the couple got their eldest on the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS)'s, which had helped her receive a heart transplant two months after.
The parents had the twins tested at the same time their sister got diagnosed. They were nine months then, but nothing showed on the results. Right after they turned one, in November 2019, Jason had a heart attack, said Siqueiros.
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Posted by Sara Siqueiros on Thursday, October 25, 2018
He suffered three more episodes over the next nine months. Jason had his most severe attack on June 3. Thankfully, Jaxon had a less-critical case, although he also confirmed the condition.
Embracing every moment
The three kids are "running around" at home for now, but Siqueiros teaches them to embrace every moment they could. The mom notes that her children could undergo another transplant later in life because hearts only work for a certain period.
She wants her children to grow up while being thankful that "their hearts beat for two." She wants possible future organ donors to know that they are not just giving away organs. Siqueiros said that they are giving a family living out of the tragedy they had by doing something beautiful.
