Pulling itself up and then taking the first few steps are major milestones in a baby’s life. Medical experts say that babies generally strive to stand when they are 9 to 12 months old. However, the same could not happen to this Massachusetts toddler as she battled a deadly lung disease for most of her early life. The two-year-old was finally captured walking out of the hospital for the first time, all excited to head home with her family. Life was really brutal to this little one; but not any more, as finally she was discharged. And the video capturing the moment will melt your heart!

According to SWNS, the toddler Mae Vogel-Koslow was diagnosed with paediatric interstitial lung disease, just four weeks after she was born in February 2016. She was born without ABCH3 gene, which is responsible for making the protein that lines the lungs. Because of the absence of this protein in her body, Mae struggled to breathe on her own. She spent 20 months on life support in hospital when she was just six weeks old, after going through a surgery to have a trach fitted. When her condition worsened in last August, her parents, Courtney Koslow and Maura Vogel from Somerville, put Mae on a double lung transplant list with the hope that it could save her life.

When Mae Took Her First Steps Outside

After a long wait, a match was found in September. It has been further reported that the entire family spent the whole night together before Mae underwent the surgery. “When they told us she could come home, it felt unreal,” Mae’s mother Courtney was quoted as saying in the same report. She further said, “It was magical to see this thriving little person be so free for the first time in her life.”

Mae is now enjoying her life as any 2-year-old should. Her parents are planning to write a letter to the donor family. Vogel said, “The gift they’ve given Mae and our family is so special, but on the other side of transplant, there is a sadness there because someone has lost a child. We’re aware of that every day.”

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 19, 2018 03:27 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).