A little girl from Blaine keeps getting stronger, just two weeks after receiving a life-saving heart transplant.

Madison Rippy's story is even more amazing considering how quickly everything came together to give her another chance. Her rare problem may have been brought on by a simple virus.

Looking at the photographs on their laptop, Linsey and Noel Rippy were reminded of their unexpected ride on a medical rollercoaster.

"Madi was having what we thought was a terrible temper tantrums and at first we were like, 'You need to calm down, what's the deal?' Then Noel noticed that she couldn't stand up," recalled Linsey, Madison's mother.

Last October, the couple's 3-year-old daughter Madison went from being a happy little girl to a child with a failing heart.

"They did an MRI and said she'd had a series of small strokes," Linsey said.

After a series of tests at three separate hospitals, doctors discovered that Madison had what's known as "dilated cardiomyopathy." It is a rare condition that is often brought on by a viral infection.

Dr. Joe Dearani, a transplant surgeon at the Mayo Clinic said, "Usually if it's going to get better, it gets better over the course of weeks. Sometimes the function actually can come back to normal."

WCCO by Bill Hudson, 08/24/2009

Tags: Cardiology, Cardiology, Transplant, Transplant