Five-year-old Lillian Smith of Bowdoin spent her short life smiling, enjoying her family and defying the odds given her since before she was born.

Lillian, born with Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome, a birth defect that affects normal blood flow through the heart, died Nov. 3 at Maine Medical Center in Portland. Her memorial service took place Thursday.

Now her family is hoping a GoFundMe campaign can help raise money to pay for medical and funeral costs, and particularly for a headstone.

“She was always happy,” said her mother, Brittany Tucker. “The only time she wasn’t happy is when she was down and out. Four days later, she’d be totally fine and back to normal.”

The family was supposed to go to Disney in December as part of the Make-A-Wish Foundation, but because her health had worsened and she was hospitalized in October, the foundation arranged to bring all the Disney princesses to the hospital for a princess party.

Lillian was also able to celebrate Halloween, trick-or-treating in the Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital and getting with at least two pounds of candy, Tucker said.

Tucker created a Facebook page, Lillian’s Heart Journey, for those who wanted updates on Lillian’s medical battle. Lillian did so well over the last couple years, however, her mother stopped having updates to post until last month.

Despite the many health challenges she was handed, Lillian continually proved doctors wrong. Her family said she was a light for many people.

According to her obituary, Lillian enjoyed playing with toys with her brother Emmit, reading books with her sister Christine, watching YouTube clips with her mother and dancing with her dad.

The obituary adds, “She is forever in our hearts. Our Heart Warrior.”

To help the family with funeral and medical expenses, donate at gofundme.com/lillian039s-heartjourney.

dmoore@timesrecord.com3