Eleven-year-old Katie was dying of leukemia, while her father, Jake, faced heart failure. Her heart was the one thing still strong. She asked doctors: “Give Daddy my heart, please.”
Legal and medical teams prepared for a directed donation—only if she died naturally. Three days later, Katie passed, and her heart saved Jake.
Her courage changed medicine: the “Katie Protocol” now allows terminally ill minors to direct donations under strict oversight. Jake rides motorcycles again, founded Katie’s Heart foundation, and expects a daughter they’ll name Katie, keeping her brave sister’s legacy alive.
