Sarah Guy

from Momentum Magazine Spring 2022

Jeff Gordon Children’s Foundation

Sarah’s Heart

OF A CHAMPION

Nearly a decade has passed since Gastonians Angie and Jerry Guy, and their children, welcomed their adoptive daughter Sarah into their lives. Little did they know how Sarah, who was brought home from China when she was two years old, would transform their lives and become a champion for children.

Born with double outlet right ventricle (DORV), a serious congenital heart defect, Sarah faced enormous odds of eventual heart failure, which would require a heart transplant at some point in her life. For Sarah, this fact became reality earlier than her family expected. Fortunately, the Guy family was in the right place for Sarah’s care from her very first day in her new home.

From pacemakers to transplants, kids with heart conditions find everything they need at Levine Children’s Hospital, including the region’s only dedicated congenital heart clinic – The HEARTest Yard Congenital Heart Center. In fact, U.S. News & World Report recognizes it as one of the nation’s best children’s hospitals for pediatric heart care and surgery.

By age three, Sarah had two open-heart surgeries, multiple catheterizations, and stent procedures at Levine Children’s. Each time, she bounced back with her characteristic smile and passion for life.

From what her family could tell, her heart was doing its job and doing it well. On the outside Sarah seemed tireless, competing in gymnastics and keeping up with her older sister, Allie.

But on the inside, her heart was quietly failing.

“Kids will compensate until they can’t compensate anymore,” says Dr. Gonzalo Wallis, Sarah's pediatric cardiologist. “They’ll keep doing what they’re doing, until they’re so sick, they can’t do anything.”

Early in 2021, after collapsing at SouthPark Mall while shopping with her family, Sarah learned that her heart transplant could not wait. Thankfully, due to the extraordinary efforts of Levine Children’s and LifeShare Carolinas, and the selfless act of organ donation from an anonymous donor’s family, a healthy heart was procured in time to save her life. Sarah received her new heart on February 12, two days after she turned 11 – just in time for Valentine’s Day.

This February marked two milestones for Sarah – her successful transplant and her nomination as the local Children’s Miracle Network (CMN) Champion for Levine Children’s – a fitting title for such a courageous young girl. Sarah’s unwavering optimism has been a testament to her courageous spirit, which has defined her long history with the hospital’s heart program.

As the local CMN Champion – and with the support of numerous CMN corporate partners throughout the Greater Charlotte region – Sarah will help to bring hope and healing to even the most fragile patients treated at Levine Children’s. Both before and after her transplant, one thing remains the same: Sarah possesses the courage and heart of a champion for children.