Mom who lost son to child abuse seeks heart transplant recipient

A Coeur d’Alene mother whose baby son died earlier this year is hoping to hear his heart beat one more time.

Dacia Cheyney’s 16-month-old son, Maliki Wilburn, died in August from head trauma after several days in the hospital.

Authorities believe Wilburn was injured by his stepfather, Joseph J. David, who was the only adult home at the time of his injury. David has been charged with murder in the case.

At the time of Wilburn’s death, he had a strong heart which was successfully transplanted to a young girl living somewhere on the West Coast, Cheyney said in a Facebook post. Now, she’s trying to find the recipient to she can hear her son’s heart again.

“My mommy and daddy would really like to hear my heart. But they don’t have a lot of information about the family. We’re depending on social media to lead us to this family,” Cheyney wrote on Facebook, speaking from her son’s perspective.

Wilburn’s heart was removed Aug. 31. Cheyney is asking any family with a daughter who received a heart transplant around that time to contact her.