Asia's Story

Asia Werner was born 9 weeks premature and had a defective heart. Without a transplant, her family feared she wouldn't live past her first birthday.

That was when her family learned of another family's loss 500 miles away. A baby in Dubuque, Iowa, died of a genetic disorder that attacked his brain and left him unable to breathe. Asia got his heart.

Today, she is an 11-year-old soccer player who considers her donor as close as a little brother. Asia's grandmother, Dawn, who adopted her, says the experience has taught her what is really important in life.