2016 Shaeine Cao

SHAEINE CAO

Kidney Donor

Age 9 ~ Alhambra, CA

Donated on 03/09/2012

at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles

Honored by Tzu Chi

Like her brother Charles, who passed away just a year and a half before her, Shaeine was born with a condition called Craniometaphyseal Dysplasia.  However, Shaeine’s condition was worse and confined her to a wheel chair. Shaeine loved to sing and will always be remembered singing in the hallways at school and on cruise ships during family vacations.  After several attempts to find a treatment for her condition, Shaeine passed away just two weeks after her ninth birthday.   Her family consented to donation and both Shaeine’s kidney and pancreas were donated.  A garden was built in Shaeine’s honor at school to memorize what a wonderful girl and great student she was.

Shaeine’s Story
Shaeine is our second child.  She was born with the same condition as her brother Charles who passed away one and a half years before she was born.  They were both diagnosed as craniometaphyseal dysplasia.  We did what we could to save her life.  We even went to the Children Hospital in Charleston of South Carolina every year to see an expert, Dr. Key, who specialized in this field.  Yet still, we lost her just two weeks passed her ninth birthday.  Her condition was worse than Charles’.  Shaeine was an active girl who loved to sing and dance. However, as her condition progressed she was eventually confined to a wheelchair.  Over time her hearing, vision, and breathing began to weaken.

Shaeine was always singing.  She sang so much in the hallways at school that people often mention how much they miss her singing.  She loved to go on cruises, and so we took her on a few.  She would say, “I like boat, we eat, swim, and dance; and after we sleep, we eat, swim, and dance again, and again, and again.”  One time, when she was about five years old, she finished her dinner quickly and started singing.  Our dinner table was her stage.  Everyone laughed and then she asked, “More”?   We said “No, no, all done!” but she insisted on continuing.  She was such a lovely and happy girl.  She said “Everyone loves Shaeine” all the time and it was true. A garden was built in her honor at her school, in order to memorize what a wonderful girl and great student she was.  We decided to donate Shaeine’s organs just as Charles, that way we could feel part of her was still alive.  Shaeine’s pancreas and kidney were donated. We will always think about Shaeine.  We believe she had her own mission coming into this world.  We believe she completed that mission. We are so proud of Shaeine and we will always miss her.