After a brave and miracle filled fight against Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome (HLHS), Maleila Rosalia-Nena Gonzalez passed away on the morning of Saturday, October 12 at the age of 2 and half.

Maleila was born on December 30, 2021 to the proudest of parents, Albby and Kelsey.  Although HLHS is typically diagnosed at the 20 week ultrasound, Maleila's went undiagnosed.  This medical oversight and lack of immediate medical care upon birth, meant that Maleila started fighting an uphill battle on day 1.  At 6 days old, she was airlifted to Seattle Children's Hospital, where she stayed for the first 8 months of her life.  In that first year, even as a little baby, Maleila started showing doctors and the world her resilience and grit.  She defied odds and medical recommendations, getting multiple surgeries and procedures for her heart and kidney, eventually becoming strong enough to come home in the fall of 2022.

In her year and a half home with family, Maleila continued to be monitored medically as she worked with PT and Speech therapies for walking, speaking and eating.  She loved her big brother Mateo, and was home for the birth of her younger brother Mavy.  She loved dresses, the color pink, Minnie Mouse, and was the sassy life of the party, lighting up every room.  In June of 2023, the family learned that Maleila's heart was failing again, and in December she started showing signs of getting sick.  But she loved music and dancing, and was able to celebrate her 2nd birthday with a big party that included a DJ.

It was Kelsey's intuition that took Maleila back to Children's in February of 2024 and she was readmitted into the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit.  Over the course of 9 months, she endured multiple cardiac arrests, strokes and brain injury. She required CPR, surgeries, heart pump machines and eventual dialysis to support her while she awaited heart and kidney transplants.  Although Maleila continued to show her fierceness as a fighter, it was also Kelsey's relentless advocacy and her parents' faith in Maleila that got her the treatments and procedures that she needed.  And regardless of how hard the medical ups and downs became, Maleila continued to share her light, love and laughter.  She joked around with her medical team, loved watching her shows and playing with all her toys, and she took such comfort in being surrounded by her family at her bedside.

On the day Maleila died, she was surrounded by family, love and prayers.  Although she is no longer with us in person, her spirit and legacy as a heart warrior lives on.  Maleila was her surgeon's first single ventricle child to be put on a heart pump, she was the first Pediatric Cath Dialysis and Berlin Pump patient at Seattle Children's, and her team built her the first ever Centra Mag Heart Pump that was connected with dialysis.  She paved the way for new life saving procedures that will no doubt be used to help other children.

Maleila taught doctors to believe in the child and the fight, not just the medicine. She taught her family about the power of faith, intuition and not taking no for an answer. And she teaches all of us about being "stronger than the storm" and fighting for life with resilience, sass, and grace.

Maleila will be deeply missed by her Parents, Brothers, Grandparents, Great Grandparents, Tios and Tias, Primos and Primas, her Medical Team, and all who knew and loved her.  Although HLHS is part of Maleila's story, she will continue to change this world because of the way she lived and not because of how she died.  Maleila Rosalia-Nena Gonzalez lived her life "Maleila's way. . . with miracles along the way."

Maleila's Celebration of Life service will be at HawthorneFuneral Home on Saturday, October 26, 2024 at 11:00 am with a graveside service to follow.