Girl, 8, Loses Fight With Cystic Fibrosis

Amy Aronson, an 8-year-old Laguna Hills girl who fought a lifelong battle against cystic fibrosis, died of the disease Thursday at Children’s Hospital of Orange County.

Amy had been hospitalized since early July awaiting a heart-lung transplant that might have stemmed the effects of the disease, a genetic disorder that causes respiratory infections and gradually weakens the entire body.

But time ran out before a suitable donor could be found, said Amy’s physician, Dr. Ralph Rucker, director of pediatric pulmonary services at Children’s Hospital.

“There were three possible donors, but two were rejected because of their blood type and the other because a tumor made the organs unusable,” he said. “Her parents had pinned a lot of hopes on the transplant, but most people have to wait from four to six months for suitable organs.”

Amy’s father, Richard Aronson, an Orange County Superior Court commissioner, and mother Linda, a court reporter, had issued a public plea for information on possible donor organs for their daughter and others waiting for transplants.

“They received dozens of calls from concerned people who wanted to help, but there was not much they could do,” Rucker said. “Hopefully, Amy’s ordeal has helped make people a little more sensitive to the importance of donations in the case of catastrophe involving a loved one.”