Drake

Drake Visits Chicago-Area Girl Awaiting Heart Transplant

Sofia Sanchez, 11, screamed "oh my God" when Drake surprised her in her hospital bed

A suburban Chicago girl awaiting a heart transplant at Lurie Children’s Hospital got a visit from rapper Drake — after capturing his attention with her own rendition of the “Kiki Challenge.”

Drake posted a photo of himself embracing Sofia Sanchez, 11, in the hospital with beaming smiles.

[[491294141, c]]

“Me and my love Sofia talking about Bieber and Owls and Basketball,” Drake, whose real name is Aubrey Graham, said in the post, paired with three heart emojis.

Sofia screamed "oh my God" when Drake surprised her in her hospital bed. They took photos together, joked and traded selfies, according to video of the meeting shared by the hospital.

“I hope you can come and see me at the Lurie Children’s hospital, because I love your music and you're awesome,” Sofia said in a video last week.

So awesome that she recorded her own Kiki challenge video just one day before open heart surgery, hoping to get the superstar’s attention. It turns out she did.

This Chicago-area girl recorded her own Kiki challenge video just one day before open heart surgery, hoping to get Drake’s attention.

“Your concert is this Saturday at the United Center and I want to go but I can't cause I'm stuck here so I want you to come and cheer me up for my birthday," she said at the time.

You’d never know it by her sparkling smile but Sofia’s had a hard summer. She was recently diagnosed with cardiomyopathy and she's been in the hospital for for seven weeks.

“The function of the heart is not very good, it affected the way she was feeling how she was doing her strength how her organs worked her kidney her liver," said Dr. Stuart Berger, a pediatric cardiologist.

Doctors at Lurie installed a ventricular assistance device.

“It’s a machine that helps my heart pump, and it's this thing,” Sofia explains in her video to Drake.

Still, Sofia needs a new heart and a transplant surgery could be three to sixth months away.

“Seeing her friends going to the pool, going on vacation, and shes been sitting in her bed, really rough mentally and physically," Natalie Sanchez, Sofia's mother, said.

Sophia is still recovering and it could be another month before she can go home to wait for a heart.

Helping her stay positive and heal? A little hip hop and hope.

“Please, please, please, please--puppy eyes--come and see me for my birthday--or any day,” she begs of her favorite artist Drake.

It look like she got her birthday wish.

Timberlake is now a co-owner of the audio technology company AfterMaster Audio Labs, Inc.
Contact Us