A New Jersey couple is celebrating their daughter’s first birthday nine months after she became the recipient of a groundbreaking partial heart transplant that ended up saving her life and that of another baby.
On Feb. 18, Brooklyn Civil’s loved ones marked the milestone with a bumblebee-themed gathering, complete with a beehive-shaped cake, to celebrate the little girl who helped make medical history.
“It was amazing to be able to celebrate her with all of our family and friends,” Sam Civil, Brooklyn’s mother, tells PEOPLE exclusively.
Make the event even more special? Knowing how far Brooklyn has come.
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It was during Sam’s 20-week ultrasound that the Civils discovered their little girl had “something wrong” with her heart: a rare condition known as truncus arteriosus. According to NewYork-Presbyterian/Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital, where the pioneering surgery was performed, her heart never developed the pulmonary valve and aortic valve, which are needed to pump blood from the heart.
Instead, Brooklyn was born with “one outlet valve, known as the truncal valve, and a hole between the two pumping chambers of her heart.”
“It was terrifying,” Sam tells PEOPLE. “But everyone was very positive and optimistic that even though he would have to have surgery, he would also be able to lead a fairly normal life.”
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Courtesy of The Civil Family
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At just 4 days old, Brooklyn underwent her first surgery, where doctors were able to fix some of the problems with her heart, Sam says.
“But we knew she was going to need more surgery and we knew another surgery was inevitable,” he tells PEOPLE. “We didn’t know exactly when, but we were thinking probably in a month or two.”
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On the morning of May 10, 2023, the civilians received a call from their doctor who explained that Brooklyn was a candidate for a domino transplant, where she would receive healthy valves from another baby—8-month-old Mia Skaats, who was also undergoing a full heart transplant.
“Everything kind of came to fruition and we found out the idea happened within hours, they talked about it and then they called us and then it happened,” says Sam.
“The biggest part of this for me is that we went from helping one baby to two,” Dr. Marc Richmond, a pediatric cardiologist who led the medical care teams for the girls, said in a hospital news release.
Richmond added: “The number one reason babies die while on the transplant list is that they are not matched to a donor quickly enough. So, the ability to help more than one child — that’s the holy grail for us. There were dozens of people in the hospital who directly cared for both children. It was a team effort.”
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Courtesy of NewYork-Presbyterian
A few months later, the babies were thriving. In a performance at Today show last August, Mia cooed and squirmed in her mother Nicole’s arms, while Brooklyn sat contentedly on Sam’s lap.
The two babies have met several times since the operation, along with their grateful parents, of course – and Civilians say the bond between them and the Skaats is one that will never be broken.
“As Brooklyn and Mia get older and their immune systems get a little stronger, we definitely plan on bringing them together and we want them to definitely be a part of each other’s lives,” Sam tells PEOPLE.
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The families are planning another one-year celebration in May to mark the one-year anniversary of their girls’ surgeries.
Until then, Civilians say they’re soaking up every minute with Brooklyn, who just happens to be “the cutest baby in the world,” according to her beaming dad.
“She’s really so cute,” Andre quips. “She clings to the furniture or our fingers and circles around. Nelly is still nervous. Every time we try to let her go, she can stand. But as soon as she realizes she’s alone, she says, ‘Oh, no.’ But she smiles. He likes to send kisses, he likes to wave. She waves to everyone and everything.”
“Celebrating Brooklyn’s first birthday knowing that she has a healthy heart that functions normally means a lot to us,” adds Sam. “We were so unsure of what her first year would look like, but thanks to the wonderful gift Mia and her family and doctors gave us, we were able to enjoy her birthday and celebrate her strength and resilience without worrying or fearing what her future holds .”
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