Parents honor daughter through organ donation after Southport vacation drowning

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY-TV) – Norah Giroux was diagnosed at five weeks old as profoundly deaf in both ears, but her parents Daniel and Erin said that didn’t stop her flamboyant personality.

“She grew into just the most mischievous, wild child you can imagine,” Erin said.

In June 2023, the Giroux family visited Southport for a vacation. One night Norah snuch out of the house to go swimming in their grandparents gated pool. Daniel found her drowning the water.

“A minute or two later I found her got her out of the pool, did CPR,” Daniel said.

When EMS arrived, Norah was temporarily revived and taken to the Wilmington Hospital.

“Unfortunately she just wasn’t able to wake up after that,” Erin said. “We just like grabbed each other’s hands and we just said out loud like Norah’s not gonna come home.”

Norah’s parents were then faced with a  decision to donate her organs.

Jeannie Connoly was their donor liaison through Honor Bridge.

“What we do, having a conversation with family at the worst time when they’ve just been given that information, there’s no deeper,  greater conversation that anybody could have,” Connoly said.

For Norah’s family, it was an obvious yes.

“We would give anything for you know Norah to receive that gift and be able to be with us and come home with us,” Daniel said. “We have the chance to do that and so honestly it was truly an easy decision.”

Norah’s donation was matched with National Grossman who was born with a congenital heart disease.

Norah’s donation prompted mixed feelings from Nathaniel’s parents, Yair and Henya.

“On one hand we were the happiest people in the world,” Henya said. “On the other hand, we know that someone, probably a baby, had to die.”

Now Nathaniel is preparing for his third birthday, a milestone his parents were afraid he’d never reach.

“It just takes you back to all the nights that you were in the hospital,” Henya said. “It’s unbelievable actually.”