Obituaries : Amy Lynn Hardin; Transplant Infant Captured Hearts
Amy Lynn Hardin, the infant who won the hearts of supporters from Southern Illinois to the White House when she became one of the youngest liver transplant recipients five years ago, died Saturday at her home in Cahokia, Ill.
The transplanted liver that Hardin, 5, received on May 10, 1983, had begun to fail around Thanksgiving, said her mother, Robin Hardin.
On Dec. 11, the family took Amy to the University of Minnesota Hospital in Minneapolis, where the transplant had been performed. But the girl returned home Jan. 16 after doctors said her chances for recovery were not good.
Groups ranging from Lions Clubs to Brownie troops to a chain of convenience stores rallied around Hardin in late 1982 and early 1983 to raise more than $260,000 to pay for what then was considered an experimental transplant operation. In 1983, Amy received a letter of support from President Reagan.
Amy was 11 months and 10 days old at the time of the transplant.
Besides her parents, Amy is survived by two brothers. Funeral services were set for today.
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