Death of five-month-old in Casa Grande results in 3 others lives saved

CASA GRANDE, Ariz. - A five-month-old baby is now being hailed as a hero after her tragic death led to organ donations that saved three others.

Her parents, who live in Casa Grande, shared how their tragedy turned to a happy ending for two other babies and an adult whose lives were saved.

"She was a light that we needed," Rosalia Grace Mejia's father, Lee Mejia, told FOX 10.

"She happened to pass in a very unique way that since the brain was no longer active, everything else was still in good condition."

It helped her family determine that her organs were meant to be donated.

"Things can be taken away so quickly, but we can give them back so preciously," Mejia said.

Her heart, liver and kidneys will be donated to one adult and two babies.

"At one month, she got influenza and ended up in the hospital and from there, it kind of spiraled downward. She had problems gaining weight, keeping her food down. She had a very bad reflux and she would aspirate a lot," her mother Natali Moreno said.

"She was turning color and she was admitted for a week (to the hospital) and they got her aspiration under control. Then Saturday when everything happened, we woke up with her unconscious."

The nightmare turned to sorrow and now to a source of pride for Rosalia's parents.

"She's doing more than me in five months than I've done in 34 years. So, she's a hero and she made mommy and daddy proud," Moreno said.

If you would like to help Rosalia's family, a GoFundMe page has been set up in Rosalia's honor.