Meet Sharnell Lydia
Sharnell Lydia.
A mother. A storyteller. Maiya's mom. This is the why behind everything we build.
Sharnell Lydia is a mother who learned the inside of a hospital chapel the way most parents learn lullabies. For eight months she watched her daughter Maiya move on and off the heart transplant list with a faith that made strangers weep and nurses linger at the door.
When the yes Maiya was waiting for did not come in time, Sharnell made a different kind of promise. Not a quiet one. A public one.
No family in our communities would feel this alone. No story would go unheard.
Maiya's Heart Project is the keeping of that promise — built on storytelling, faith, representation, and the long, holy work of carrying love forward.
Personal mission
"I am not building this so my daughter is remembered. I am building this so the next mother in that chapel hears the yes before the goodbye."
— Sharnell Lydia
Vision for the future
A national platform for the families nobody asked.
Sharnell's vision is for Maiya's Heart Project to grow into the most trusted voice on minority organ donation in the country — a place where storytelling, scholarship, family support, and faith partnerships meet. The foundation we're laying now is the scaffolding for that future.