“God spared my life, so I vowed to help others!”

After a heart transplant, Ava Kaufman was determined to pass the gift forward. When she learned why so many potential recipients can't get on the list, she sprang into action to help make miracles

- Bill Holton

Ava with Seejai, who stayed at Ava's House for his second heart transplant

Ava Kaufman was on her way to the doctor when she collapsed, unconscious. Eleven days later, she woke up in Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles after being on life support.

Only months earlier, the 58-year-old had been an active businesswoman, a retired dancer and the mom of 11-year-old Jade. But in 2009, an itchy rash sent her to the doctor. When it worsened, a blood test revealed she had dermatomyositis—a rare autoimmune disorder that causes the immune system to attack muscles, including the heart.

Three months after her collapse, Ava's heart gave out. Miraculously, a donor heart came through just in time. After the transplant, she spent two months in an induced coma. As doctors slowly withdrew her sedation, Ava thought she might still die. I'm ready to let go, she remembers thinking.

But then the scent of her daughter's hair—which smelled of the barn where she rode horses—brought her out of the haze. I can't leave Jade,