Family featured in heart transplant stories found dead

Authorities in Berks County, Pa., said Sunday a family of five died in an apparent murder-suicide a year after newspapers nationwide wrote about their struggle to obtain a drug to prevent their 1-year-old daughter from rejecting her transplanted heart.

District Attorney John Adams said the bodies of Mark Short, 40; his wife, Megan, 33; and their children Liana, 8, Mark, 5, and Willow, 2, were found Saturday by police in their home in Sinking Spring, Pa.

Adams said a handwritten note that "appeared to be a 'murder-suicide' note" was found in the family's home Saturday afternoon. Police said they found all five dead of gunshot wounds and a handgun near one of the adults, but they didn't say which one they believe was the shooter.

Police said they learned from a family member that Megan Short missed a lunch date and could not be contacted by phone. The family member contacted the police, who said the couple had "domestic issues" in the past.

The family was featured in an October 2014 story in the Reading (Pa.) Eagle, detailing how Willow, then 5 months old, had undergone a heart transplant at 1 week old. In July 2015, The New York Times published a feature story on the family detailing the family's struggles obtaining anti-rejection medication for Willow.

Last April, Megan Short blogged about her struggles with her child's condition, writing of anxiety and nightmares, saying, it took her “nearly two years to recognize how much I was truly impacted by the experiences.”

Short added, “I don’t think PTSD ever truly goes away but, with therapy, medication, and the right support, I have begun to loosen its grip on me.”

She also said she experienced "survivor's guilt" when children with similar problems from other families passed away.

"As I work on my own mental healing, I wanted to share my experience so that other heart parents know they are not alone."

Follow Greg Toppo on Twitter: @gtoppo