CORPUS CHRISTI (Kiii News) -
The family of a five-year old girl said her legacy will live on after they were faced with a decision no parent ever wants to make.
The little girl passed away earlier this week, as a result of complications from a second heart surgery.
The family of five-year old Madilyn Munoz decided to donate her organs so that two other people, a young boy and an older woman in her 40s, can continue their own lives.
"She would always dig in before it was time," said Jennifer Munoz, her mother. She was showing a home video that shows Madilyn on her fourth birthday party. Madilyn loved to dance, often stealing the spotlight from her two older sisters. Her mom called her a free spirit, a sweet little girl with a big heart and a big smile.
Just like any other girl her age, her room was filled with stuffed animals, princess outfits and even posters of Justin Bieber.
"With the new album coming out, we would listen to it over and over again," Munoz said. "I still put it on for her. Didn't mind."
They're memories her mother, Jennifer, and father, Mark, will always cherish.
Madilyn was born with heart problems, and was no stranger at Driscoll Children's Hospital, where she had already gone through one heart surgery. But on July 5, just before going into her second surgery, she asked something unusual. She wanted to see the sun.
"We let her go to the window, and when she got there she put her hand on the window," her mother said. "She was jumping up and down with happiness. After that we walked back to the holding room, told her how much we loved her, gave us kisses like she always did. Went to surgery."
When Madilyn came out, she went into cardiac arrest. She never woke up.
Her devastated parents were then faced with a tough decision.
"When it was time for us to let her go, it was no doubt in my mind from the beginning," her mother said.
In a ceremony outside of Driscoll Children's Hospital, Madilyn's parents and two sisters were honored after the decision to donate her organs.
"For anyone who is in the situation we were in, donating a life, it's hard to let go of the ones we love," Jennifer Munoz said. "If you think about how many people touched by what you do, doing so gives you comfort."
Her family said Madilyn's spirit, who brought so much joy to the lives of others, will live on in those whose lives she continues to touch from her donated organs.
Madilyn's funeral is set for 10 a.m. Friday at St. Patrick Catholic Church. Her family is in need of help paying for her funeral arrangements. If you can help, an account has been set up under Madilyn Munoz at Wells Fargo Bank.
