Rocklin High School sophomore Brooke Saunders was only eight days-old when she had heart surgery for the first time. At 13, she had open heart surgery once again due to a lack of blood flow to her lungs.

This is a huge ordeal for someone so young and what got her through it was, simply, a pillow. Her grandpa gave her a pillow to help her recover. This br

ought her comfort and the strength to heal.

“Pillows help relieve pressure in your chest when you need to cough or sit up so it was nice to have one from my grandpa,” says Brooke.

Brooke is now 15 years old and she is thriving. She is a happy and healthy softball player, with a passion for helping others.

The pillow that brought her strength also brought inspiration and a yearning to help kids in similar situations.

From this came Brooke’s Healing Heart Foundation, a foundation that makes and delivers pillows to kids recovering from open heart surgery.

Brooke goes to different hospitals in California and brings joy to children who are going through the same stressful surgery.

With over 1500 pillows hand-delivered or mailed, Brooke says she could never end the foundation.

“I know it is something that I will continue for the rest of my life because it is so important to me.”

Brooke has a website where people can make donations or even volunteer to help manufacture pillows.

“My family helps a lot. My mom does most of the behind the scenes stuff, but I also handle a large amount of it,” says Brooke.

Having delivered these pillows since 2016, she has met lots of inspiring people.

“There was a boy and his mother who didn’t speak English and their translator told me that they hoped her son would be as happy and as healthy as me one day.”

Brooke has overcome an amazing feat, and now as a healthy and generous 15 year-old, she can continue to bring joy and hope to others like her.