It was one year ago that Macy Stevens received a miracle. Nearing the anniversary of her heart transplant, the 11-year-old’s family is celebrating how far she’s come.

Macy had three heart surgeries by the age of two. In July of 2008, her heart began to fail and she was put on a transplant waiting list.

Channel 6 News followed her journey from Omaha to St. Louis in October of last year. She had to move, temporarily, to be close to her doctors. Macy also had to wear a backpack with a defibrillator and medicine line at all times. “It was hard to sleep,” she says.

"As we get closer to the one year mark, which is next week,” her father Jordan Stevens says, “it's more emotional looking back and remembering."

Her mother, Karen Stevens adds, “When you look back at all the pictures and all the video, you just burst into tears because you're like, ‘wow.’"

It was December 2nd, when Macy received her new heart. She was back home three weeks later. Since then, she’s continued to get stronger. And she’s grown four inches taller.

Macy says she feels, "a lot better, I can actually breathe and catch my breath."

She can do much more than that. Macy recently landed a spot on a select volleyball team. "There was like 61 people there for just twelve, so it was just awesome to know that you made the team.”

Her mother says, “She fought and she practiced every day. She knew she wanted to make it, and when she did, it was pretty amazing."

While Macy still has regular doctor's visits, making it a year with no signs of transplant rejection is an important milestone. So a party was thrown Saturday night in Macy’s honor at Julio’s West restaurant.

Surrounding the Stevens family, the friends and family who have supported them along the way. "They took care of us and they saw us through it, and that's why we stayed a family and stayed connected,” says Karen.

"It's gone so well the past year,” says Jordan, “We just keep our fingers crossed that everything keeps going well, just keep going like this for as long as we can."

Macy's family now helps advocate for organ donation. An event, Tuesday, December 15th will help their cause. Julio’s West, 123d & West Center Road, will give 10% of all proceeds that night to Donate Life Nebraska.

Karen says she thinks about their donor family every day, and how through their loss her daughter’s life was saved.