Goodbyes For NJ Girl Who Wasn't Going To Make It To 10. She Did.

PATERSON – Leilani wasn't supposed to get anywhere near 10. Not even close. She wasn't supposed to make it long past her birth.

Leilani was born with a rare heart condition and she underwent a couple of surgeries through the years. She received her first heart transplant at the age of 3.

She lived another remarkable 7 years.

Now many family and friends are saying goodbye and showing their gratitude for a young "princess" who gave them a decade of joy that they didn't expect.

"While we are heartbroken, we know that she is with our Heavenly father," according to a GoFundMe page set up by the family.

The page, which raised more than $16,000 by Monday, was set up to help defray expenses for a memorial service.

Leilani Cameron of Paterson, who died on Aug. 19, was born in New York and was a student at Martin Luther King Elementary School in Paterson.

Leilani loved life and left a lasting impression on everyone she met, her GoFundMe page said.

This love of life was evident even when she was sick.

Nearly 7 years after her transplant, Leilani began having heart complications at the beginning of this year, which led her to be admitted into the hospital for several months. She was waiting for a new heart.

Throughout the 7 months she was in the hospital, Leilani "kept a huge smile on her face at all times and continued to be our warrior," the GoFundMe page said.

She went into cardiac arrest on August 19.

"We are all devastated by Leilani's loss and we were not prepared for the worst," the page said

Through GoFundMe, the family hopes to give Leilani "the memorial she deserves, to honor her memory, and say our last goodbyes."

Leilani was the beloved daughter of Omar and Felicita (Resto) Cameron; loving granddaughter of Leida Birriel, Virgilio Cameron and Loretta Surita; and dear sister to Crystal Cameron, Alana Morales, Ulises Sanchez, Jasmine Cameron, Alexis Sims and Elijah Sims, according to her obituary.

Visiting hours were on Friday at the Marrocco Memorial Chapel at 470 Colfax Ave. in Clifton. Funeral Services were on Saturday at the Funeral Home. Interment was at East Ridgelawn Cemetery.