Girl, 7, Who Won Wave of Support,Dies After Surgery

A 7-year-old Filipino girl whose father worked in Costa Mesa for five years to pay for her heart surgery and whose plight led to outpourings of support from charitable organizations has died.

Ruth Grace Seijo died Saturday at Loma Linda University Medical Center of complications following surgery to correct the hole she had in her heart since birth. Her heart condition had caused underlying problems with other organs, including her lungs and liver.

“I know she is in good hands now and her suffering is over,” said her father, Lauro Seijo. He moved from the Philippines to Orange County in 1986, often working six-day weeks and 14-hour days in an effort to save enough money to bring Ruth to California for surgery. Despite his hard work, Seijo was unable to save enough because Ruth required frequent hospitalization and her bills mounted.

“I know I gave it my best shot, but it is hard to accept that she is gone,” he said, thanking organizations and businesses that helped.

“We feel good that Ruth Grace was able to at least spend some time with her father,” said Nancy Fontaine, director of Pointes of Light, the Orange County group that coordinated charitable efforts to aid the Seijo family.

The group, aided by Make-A-Wish Foundation of Orange County, arranged to fly Ruth and her mother, Nila, to California last January.

The funeral will be at 9 a.m. Saturday at Fairhaven Memorial Park in Santa Ana.