Lying in a hospital bed one winter morning, Marik Lingo opened her eyes feeling like a new girl. Her fear vanished as she took slowly stepped down the halls, something she thought she may never do again. She knew she had survived. She knew everything was going to be okay.
When Lingo, freshman, was 7 she was diagnosed with leukemia. Shortly after getting her appendix removed, doctors found the cancer in her blood. The news was broken to Marik that she would go through chemotherapy, lose her hair, and possibly have multiple surgeries. Although her parents were overwhelmed with shock and concern, Marik’s positive attitude left her hopeful.
“After they told me I don’t think I really cared. I was a really happy girl and didn’t mind,” Marik said.
A year of chemotherapy kept Marik in the hospital and out of school. The only part of missing first and second grade that concerned Marik was the lack of time she had with her friends. Although she missed her friends greatly, her younger sister Tessa, now 12, stayed by Marik’s side through it all.
“Tessa was scared for me a lot, especially when she got older,” Marik said, “so we had sleepovers at the hospital. We are really close.”
Marik and her family saw hope once chemotherapy finished. They were in the hospital for what they thought would be the last time.
“[Finishing chemo] was a big deal for my whole family, we thought it was finally over,” Marik said.
On the last check-up Marik’s doctor listened to her heart for what they thought was going to be the last time, and heard something out of the ordinary. Due to the chemotherapy, her heart’s right ventricle in her heart stopped working, and Marik was in need of a heart transplant. At ten years old, Marik’s heart was failing, but her faith was not.
She was immediately put on a waiting list, and given a beeper to tell her when they had a heart for her. After three months of anticipation, the beeper went off while she was at the zoo with her mother and sister. At this point, Marik was too weak to even walk, she was being pushed in a stroller.
“When the beeper went off I came to reality with what I was about to go through,” Marik said.
Her family rushed her to Children’s Hospital, and they waited for the heart to arrive in a helicopter. At 2 a.m., Marik’s doctors started the five-hour procedure of a heart transplant.
“When I came out, I was a totally different girl. I actually had energy,” Marik said.
Today, Marik has the same chance of getting cancer as anyone else, and due to her new heart she is capable of dancing and is on the JV Poms squad.
Five years ago, Marik;s parents started a foundation called Marickle, that pays house bills for families in the hospital that can’t. They hold golf tournaments in which proceeds are donated to the foundation. Outside donations have helped them raise 25,000 dollars to help families in need.
For more information on the foundation visit Marickle.org.
