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Maria and Beiya remembering Cielo
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December 2002: Maria Sarmiento was faced with the most devastating situation in her life – the death of her 8-month-old daughter, Cielo Rivera. Cielo was with the babysitter when she fell down more than 15 stairs in a walker causing fatal injuries.
As any parent can imagine, Maria was overcome with devastation and sadness. During this unimaginable grief, she looked beyond her pain and made the decision to donate Cielo’s organs so that other lives could be saved: a 4-month-old girl received her heart; a woman from Illinois received her kidneys; and one-year-old, Jaydon Mook, received her liver.
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| Maria with Jaydon |
Jaydon suffered from Biliary Atresia – a chronic and progressive pediatric liver disease in which the bile ducts become blocked and causes in liver damage. It is a life-threatening disease, and fatal without treatment.
Jaydon was diagnosed in January 2002 when he was nine weeks old and he underwent his first surgical treatment at 10 and a half weeks. By that May, he had contracted the flu and suffered two infections. After those episodes, his illness and symptoms progressed. His parents, Cara and Dan Mook, spoke with a physician about the possibilities of a transplant, and they were immediately referred to a transplant surgeon. Then, in December 2002, Jaydon received a second chance when his life crossed paths with Cielo, and he received her liver.
Cara Mook wasted no time to reach out to Maria through a letter and tell her how her family is forever grateful for Maria’s decision to donate Cielo’s organs. “How can we begin to thank you for the sacrificial gift you have given our son? Just to think, in the midst of your pain and loss, you cared enough to give life to another child. We will forever be thankful for the gift of life God has given Jaydon through your child.”
On August 1, 2009, Maria, Jaydon and his family met in person for the first time. Maria was nervous about meeting the family on her own, so she arrived with her fiancé, Alejandro Loperena, and sister, Alma Nevarz. Maria was greeted warmly by Jaydon, Cara and Dan, as well as Jaydon’s four siblings. “There was an immediate connection between families,” said Diane Schmitz, Donor Family Services Coordinator at Gift of Hope.
Maria had anticipated this day since correspondence between the families began. “I have been waiting and dreaming of the moment when I could hug and kiss Jaydon.”
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| Maria with Jaydon and the Mook family |
“It was so moving,” Diane said. “The two mothers hugged and cried, and when Maria hugged Jaydon, it was like watching a mother embrace her own son.”
Maria shared stories of her family’s precious time with Cielo. “Cielo’s older sister, Beiya, loved her little sister and would dress her up in doll clothes – they were inseparable. After Cielo died, Beiya would ask where she was every day for two years,” Maria explained. “Beiya adored her sister and we both miss her terribly, but we know she is our guardian angel and is watching over Jaydon as well.”
Today, Jaydon is seven years old and is doing very well. Maria, Beiya and Cielo are never far from the Mook family’s hearts. “We are committed to upholding you in our prayers as you walk through this difficult time,” Cara told Maria. “We have spoken to Jaydon of the ‘gift’ he was given from a very special girl. We are grateful for her unselfish gift of life.”
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