CINCINNATI -- Suzu Kaneda came to Cincinnati months ago for new lungs.
Over the weekend, she finally got them.
Suzu is just shy of 2 years old and suffers from pulmonary vein stenosis. The condition means there's a blockage in the vessels bringing blood from the lungs back to her heart. The cause isn't known, and it usually gets worse over time.
Suzu and her twin sister, Saya, were diagnosed with the condition in January 2015, two months after they were born. Saya didn't survive.
The Kaneda family raised more than $2.6 million to get to the United States and save Suzu's life. Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center is one of the few places that can perform the complicated procedure Suzu needed. Suzu flew here with her parents in July; she got onto the active lung transplant waiting list in August.
She's now in recovery, still fragile and under constant care. Medical staff have to make sure she doesn't reject the transplant, and her right ventricle still needs to function well.
"We sincerely ask everyone to continue to pray that no major rejection will occur, and the function of the right ventricle will function well for the next 72 hours," a message posted to her Facebook page said Tuesday.
Follow the Kanedas' journey to save Suzu on Facebook. See more of Suzu's story on the couple's fundraising page.
WCPO Editorial Cartoonist Kevin Necessary drew this get-well card you can print and color for Suzu. When you're finished, mail or bring it to WCPO 9 On Your Side (1720 Gilbert Ave., Cincinnati OH 45202), and we'll make sure it gets to her family.
A big THANK YOU goes out to the dozens of viewers who have already submitted colored pages to us to forward to Suzu's family!
Click or tap the image to download a printable PDF copy:
