Dashia was born in the Bronx. Not only was she a healthy baby, but Dashia thrived during the first year of her life, meeting every developmental milestone with poise and ease.

Yet when Dashia turned 18 months old, her parents received devastating news about her health. Dashia was diagnosed with pediatric cancer. She then began receiving chemotherapy treatments to help her fight the illness, and Dashia’s family poured their love and support into Dashia’s fight.  A fighter from the very beginning, Dashia’s family knew their infant daughter would eventually get well again.

Two years after she received her treatment, Dashia overcame her cancer. That year, her family not only celebrated Dashia’s fourth birthday, they also celebrated their daughter’s new lease on life, and began to see her health blossom. Dashia started public school, spent an enormous amount of time playing with other kids around the neighborhood, and began dreaming of what her future would eventually look like as a grownup.

To Dashia and her family, chemotherapy was quickly becoming a fading memory as time went on and her good health returned. In fact, the memory often served as a reminder of Dashia’s incredible strength more than anything else. The same strength that would again come to define her character as she grew older and entered another phase of health-related challenges.

Read the next chapter to learn more about the effects of Dashia’s chemotherapy and her persistent courage.

When Dashia turned 10, she began to struggle with keeping up with the other kids on the playground. She did not pay it much attention, and in turn, neither did her family. It wasn’t until a year later, after extended bouts of fatigue that Dashia could no longer write off as part of adolescence, that the family grew concerned. Was the cancer returning? Was it simply a childhood illness? Though it wasn’t cancer, unfortunately for Dashia and her family, it was very serious.

The life-saving chemotherapy Dashia received eight years before resulted in a condition that was causing her heart to fail. While she couldn’t play sports at the same level she used to, or run around with the other kids for quite as long, she didn’t make time for explanations and kept the details to herself. For Dashia, it was really a matter of taking her medication faithfully and continuing to carry on.

In fact, no activity was too difficult for Dashia, including her academics, which she excelled at in spite of everything.  Dashia confronted each new challenge in her life with unparalleled bravery. College, career, cancer, there was nothing that Dashia could not overcome with a positive attitude and her unique brand of resilience, except heart failure.

Now Dashia hopes others in New York will be strong alongside her, “I’ve been a light to others and they’ve been a light to me as well. But there’s no light greater than giving the gift of life to someone who could really make an impact in their family and community. So I would encourage everyone to learn more about the facts behind organ donation.”

Dashia continues to work towards her goals and dreams. A trip to Dubai is how she plans to celebrate receiving her new heart, but the timing is hard to predict. When compared to the rest of the country, New York State has the lowest percentage of residents registered as organ donors. Dashia’s voice cracks a little when she considers the thought of not seeing the day where she receives a new heart from a generous donor. Yet the moment only lasts for a second before Dashia reminds all of us that for her, it isn’t a matter of if she will get her heart, but when. It is through this optimism and positivity that shines so brightly  you know this is one woman who will be back to tell us her story of not only receiving her heart transplant, but also going on to help others facing similar battles as well.

Share your story. Inspire others as an organ recipient or find out how to sign up as an organ donor.