BAINBRIDGE – In many ways, Amanda Decker is a typical 12 year old. A high honor student at Bainbridge-Guilford, the soon-to-be seventh grader participates in Odyssey of the Mind, plays the violin and dances with ABC Dance Studio in Sidney. She enjoys camping with her family, hanging out with her friends and bowling in a youth league at Galaxy Bowl in Bainbridge.

There is one thing, however, which makes Decker very different from her peers: Her heart.

Decker was just 11 months old when she received a heart transplant. As with any transplant recipient, there is always a fear her body will reject the donor heart. Which means that not only does she take a number of medications daily, but she and her family must also make frequent trips to Babies & Children’s Hospital in New York City for blood work, echocardiograms, EKGs and heart biopsies. This year, those trips have become more and more frequent, as she’s started to show signs of rejection.

Because of Decker’s medical condition, members of the Bainbridge community have decided to step forward and raise money for her and her family.

“Amanda is a wonderful little girl and well loved in our community,” said Robin Haddad, who became acquainted with the family through the local school district, where Amanda’s mother Carrie is a teacher’s aid. Her father, Ron, owns a local body shop.