A heart full of hope
Can a six-week-old pink-cheeked baby have a heart attack? That’s what happened to Charlotte. But thanks to a donor heart, remarkable resilience and a bold medical breakthrough, today she’s a thriving six-year-old, who loves to dance, camp and paddle board.
Charlotte lights up the room with her love for dancing.
Charlotte paddling across a lake in a kayak, embracing adventures her family once feared she might never experience.
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Dr. West's research saves children like Charlotte.
On a fall evening in Edmonton, what started as a gathering of friends quickly turned into a life-altering event. At just six weeks old, Charlotte Gillard, pink-cheeked and seemingly healthy, suddenly refused to feed. Her skin turned ghostly pale. Blue veins marbled across her chest. Alarmed, her parents dialed 911.
The first paramedic to arrive found Charlotte’s vitals “normal.” Still, Charlotte’s mom insisted something was wrong. A second ambulance pulled up, and this time the EMT, herself a mother, urged the family to take Charlotte to the emergency room – just to be safe.
That advice helped save Charlotte’s life.
By the time they reached the Stollery Children’s Hospital, Charlotte was in cardiac shock. Nurses struggled to thread IV lines through veins that were collapsing before their eyes. An echocardiogram revealed she had experienced a massive heart attack on the left side, triggered by a rare and typically fatal condition called left coronary artery occlusion.
Over the next three years, Charlotte remained in active heart failure and was in and out of the hospital. When she was two years old, her cardiology team listed her for a transplant. Thanks to the pioneering work of Dr. Lori West, the odds of finding a match for infants like Charlotte have improved dramatically over the past three decades.
After waiting nearly a year, Charlotte received a new heart just before her third birthday. The transplant was a success.
Since then, life has changed in incredible ways. Charlotte recently graduated from kindergarten and takes part in all the activities her family once feared she might never experience. She goes to school, swims, dances, participates in Sportball and has even tried paddle boarding and pickleball. Her favourite adventures include camping trips and swimming in the lake.
Charlotte’s story is not just about survival. It is about how a single act of generosity – a family choosing organ donation in the midst of devastating loss – can ripple outward. It is about the strength of a child who, against all odds, made it through. And it is about the possibility of joy returning after a crisis, carried in the steady beat of a new heart.
Charlotte’s family’s appreciation was captured in a moment they’ll never forget: thanking Dr. Lori West for her life-saving research breakthrough in person.
- See the researchers working on more life-saving breakthroughs
- Learn more about congenital heart disease
Heart transplant research gave newborn Nora a lifetime of possibilities.
Revolutionary heart research allowed Logan to be a big brother.
Advanced heart research saved Charlotte after a massive heart attack.
Natalie’s infant heart transplant gave her a lifetime of hope.
Advanced heart research got Abby to the World Transplant Games.
From first days in the hospital to first days of school. Transplant research changed Charlie’s life.
Real stories, real impact
The gift that keeps on beating
Logan’s journey — from getting a devastating diagnosis as a newborn to flourishing in elementary school.
A spark that shines bright
