The two families later connected and have since formed an unbreakable bond
One summer afternoon, in a quiet Ohio park, two families, forever connected by loss and hope, came together for the first time.
Lisa Schein, 43, placed a stethoscope on Mireya Moody's chest and listened carefully to the heartbeat that once belonged to her own daughter, Maddy.
Without pause, Mireya instinctively reached out to hug the grieving mother, forming a bond that words could never fully capture. "I wanted to soothe her, so I did what I do best," the 8-year-old tells PEOPLE exclusively.
It was a gesture of love, healing, and shared strength - a moment neither of them would ever forget.
On April 1, 2022, Schein made the difficult decision to donate her daughter's organs following Maddy's sudden death in an ATV accident.
"She was just a bubbly, fun, energetic 8-year-old," Lisa tells PEOPLE exclusively. "She was very witty... She loved to dance, loved to sing. She was always up for anything I suggested. If I went to the store for milk, she was by my side."
Despite the devastation of losing a child, Schein knew she wanted something good to come from it. "It was almost an instant reaction," she reveals. "I knew that I didn't want her death to be in vain."
Maddy became an organ donor, saving four lives. One of those lives was Mireya's. At just 4, Mireya was diagnosed with left ventricular non-compaction cardiomyopathy (LVNC), a rare condition that severely weakened her heart.
"Her heart just could not sustain itself much longer," Mireya's mother, Bianca Robinson, 40, tells PEOPLE exclusively. "It was starting to affect her other organs... her lung had collapsed, and unfortunately, she had to be put on what's called a Berlin Heart." The device gave Mireya a temporary lifeline as her condition grew more critical.
When the call came that a donor heart was available, Robinson was hit with a wave of emotion.
"Of course I'm relieved - my child is going to have a second chance at life," she reflects. "But I also knew what that meant for this other family... I didn't know them at the time. I didn't know how old the child was... I just knew the likelihood that it was a child, and this other family is going to be living out the nightmare we didn't want to ever have to face."
Mireya's transplant was successful, and she slowly regained her strength through therapy sessions. While there were some minor setbacks and brief hospital stays, she began living the life of a normal child again.
"She's doing great," Robinson shares. "You know, in a situation like this, it's easy to prepare for the worst... But she's only had a few minor health issues. Nothing too serious."
About two years after the transplant, Robinson and Schein finally connected. Their first meeting, in August 2024, was deeply moving for both mothers.
"It was way more emotional than we thought it would be - and on both parts," Schein says. "It was just such a great feeling... knowing that [Maddy] was living on. The fact that Mireya wouldn't have made it without that, I think, helped heal my heart a little bit."
After spending the day together, the families discovered surprising similarities between Maddy and Mireya, such as their love for stuffed animals. Schein's family even gave Mireya an avocado plush toy, which she now sleeps with every night, and lovingly named after Maddy.
What began as grief grew into a shared journey of healing. "It was almost like I had already known her," Robinson says of meeting Schein. "It's a maternal thing. I felt so comfortable around her... both sides of our families were laughing and sharing stories as if we had known each other forever."
Committed to carrying on Maddy's legacy, Robinson and Mireya have participated in the annual 5K event held in her honor, which takes place in Logan, Ohio, every Thanksgiving. It was there that Mireya even got to meet some of Maddy's school friends.
"This coming year will be our third year doing it," Schein says. "It's just in her memory, and we try to do some fun things that remind everyone of her. All the proceeds go to benefit a scholarship held in Maddy's name through our local school district."
For both families, organ donation has become more than just a noble idea, but tangible way to make a difference in people's lives.
"I had never thought twice about organ donation," Robinson says. "It just simply was something that I would check 'yes' on when renewing my license... but once it became a part of my child's life, I knew how important it really is."
Schein echoed that sentiment with a heartfelt plea, saying she "really hopes people understand" how impactful organ donation can be.
"It's not just a box you check on a form," she says. "You have to think about how you would feel if you were the one waiting for that organ or the one saying goodbye to your loved one. You just have to think of it from both sides."