LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — On day 53 in Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, a five-year-old from Lexington continues her battle against cardiomyopathy.
Her mother described the past month.
“Things kind of went down then up then up then down,” Jerrica Croley said.
LEX 18 first spoke with Jerrica about Malia’s journey on July 3. Its been an emotional rollercoaster ever since, one that’s included five open-heart surgeries for Malia.
“Opening her up for a fifth time was something they didn’t want to do, but we got to the point to where we had to do it,” Jerrica said.
However, Jerrica has seen big changes and improvements in Malia, and she’s grateful for them. In a Facebook post Monday, Jerrica said Malia walked for the first time in a long time.
“She’s doing amazing, she’s super happy, she’s waking up with bright eyes and a smile from ear to ear every morning,” Jerrica noted.
Getting stronger every day, Malia left ICU a few days ago.
Jameshia, Jerrica’s twin sister, is a major part of Jerrica’s strong support system.
“She comes up Sundays, and her plan is to stay Sunday until Monday afternoon, but I always talk her into staying Tuesday before we open,” Jerrica said.
Co-owners of Never Too Much Creamery, Jerrica and Jameshia can’t say enough about the outpouring of support from the Lexington community and beyond.
A prime example can be found with a theme of “Faith Over Fear” showing Malia’s journey on Facebook.
“She gets about 100,000 views on her videos, but I feel like every last one of those is a prayer, and it helps. It helps me every single day,” Jerrica noted.
Every day, as Malia waits on a life-saving heart transplant, she sends her mom this reminder: “She’s letting me know that she feels so good, she’s ready to go home. Every day, she doesn’t fail to remind me, she’s ready to go home,” Jerrica said.
Jerrica’s daughter has been in and out of hospitals battling cardiomyopathy since 2023.Listed below is a gofundme for Malia:
Fundraiser for Jerrica Croley by Jameshia Croley : Support Malia’s Fight for a New Heart
As 5-year-old girl battles cardiomyopathy, her mother is raising awareness
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)
