A little girl from Hagerstown who lost her life in a fire is giving hope to two other families.

Continue reading

Three-year-old Hope Goins was rescued from a fire at her Hagerstown home last Wednesday, deprived of oxygen and with no heartbeat.

Hagerstown firefighter John Murray first discovered Hope cradled in her mother’s arms and carried her to paramedics.

“Her and her mother were together,” Murray says. “(I) reached down and put Hope in my arms and down the steps"

The mother, Patricia Goins, was pronounced dead at the scene. But after nearly an hour of CPR, the little girl's heart miraculously started beating again and her family had renewed hope she would survive.

But two days later came the grim news: There was no blood flow to the brain.

On Sunday, Hope's father, who was also injured in the fire, made the crushing decision to take her off life support. Her organs were donated to two young boys in desperate need. A 2-year-old little boy received her liver while a young man received both her kidneys.

Even though the donor and recipient families don't know one another, it's Hope that binds them together.

A fund has been started at Susquehanna Bank in Hope's name to help offset medical and funeral expenses for the family. Checks may be made payable to the Hope Goins Fund.

Any leftover funds will go toward providing free smoke detectors and fire extinguishers to underprivileged families and those who have been displaced by fires.