Then known only as "Baby Eve," 26-year-old Leilah Dowsari made international headlines in January 1986 when she became the first female newborn to receive a heart transplant. The first newborn ever listed on the national waiting list, Leilah received a heart from 10-day-old "Baby Eric" of Atlanta, Ga. on her 17th day of life. Two more heart transplants in the quarter-century since her groundbreaking procedure made it possible for Leilah to have a baby of her own, Gabriel, in August 2011.

Leilah's Story

Then known only as "Baby Eve," Leilah Dowsari made international headlines in January 1986 when she became the first female newborn to receive a heart transplant. The first newborn ever listed on the national waiting list, Leilah received a heart from 10-day-old "Baby Eric" of Atlanta, Ga. on her 17th day of life.

"Back then it was experimental," said Leilah, now 26. "They thought my first transplant would last five years at the most, but it took me all the way to my teenage years." By age fourteen, she had developed coronary artery disease, which is not uncommon among heart recipients. "The second transplant was scary for me because I experienced health problems," recalled Leilah. Within three years, a return of coronary artery disease would necessitate a third transplant. It has been more than nine years since she received the heart that beats in her today.

That heart, and the two before it, made it possible for her to do something that physicians has said would be impossible: have a baby of her own. "At one point I underwent radiation, and they said it would no longer be possible for me to get pregnant," said Leilah. "I was really happy to find out they were mistaken, and I couldn't be happier." Her baby Gabriel arrived in August 2011. Of her remarkable journey from newborn to her mid-20s and counting, Leilah said, "It's all I've ever known; it's a part of me." She never thought much about the possibility that her first operation might never have worked at all. "I've always been optimistic," she affirmed.

Leilah aspires to be a photographer, and has also been interested in a career in nursing. She also looks ahead to the possibility of meeting any of her donor family members so she can thank them in person.