LELAND, NC (WWAY) — For 18-month-old Dahlia Morris, the past year and a half has been a long and hard journey for her and her family.
Dahlia’s grandmother Angelina Bernard explained that Dahlia had to deal with cardiomyopathy.
“That’s an enlarged heart and she was diagnosed with that 2 and a half months after she was born,” Bernard said. “She faced 8 months in the hospital waiting for a heart and she was connected to what they call a Berlin heart that pumped her heart for her.”
Dahlia spent 7 months at the Arkansas Children’s Hospital in Little Rock waiting for a donor heart to become available and then spent another month recovering following the surgery.
It’s been 6 months since she received her new heart, but there are still challenges she faces, including a compromised immune system, which limits who she can come into contact with.
While Dahlia and her parents visited her grandparent’s home in Leland, Angelina’s friend Dania Josey found a way to celebrate and cheer on Dahlia, as she recovered.
“So we decided or I decided, let’s put together a drive-by parade,” Josey said. “So we all could at least drive by, see her, wave at her, and give her and her family lots of love and support.”
Along with members of Warner Temple Church, Leland Police and Fire Rescue and Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office came out to be a part of the parade.
Bernard said it was amazing to see all the support for Dahlia.
“Just like my T-shirt says Tiny but Mighty. And that is her. She was tiny but very mighty and she is very strong. Oh, it warms my heart. It just excites me. It’s just, it’s such a blessing because she is just a joy and everyone just wants to see her be a joy.”
While the parade made Dahlia and her parent’s day, it also served as a way to inspire those who took part.
“Of how important, no matter your age or what you may be facing, that even when the odds may seem against you,” Josey said. “If you stay strong, think positive and still believe, then something good can come out of it.”
Dahlia got to see other family members during the parade and she and her family will soon return home to Arkansas where she will continue her recovery.