LINTON, Ind. (WTWO/WAWV) — It’s been less than two months since Linton teen Madi Moore passed away from graft vs. host disease, and her family is already making strides to ensure her legacy lives on in her community and beyond.

It’s the way that I feel closest to her, is to do the things that she would want to do.

Tera Orman, Madi Moore’s mom

As Madi Moore fought for her life in Riley’s Children Hospital, gifts and well wishes poured in, and all the teen could do was think of how to pay them forward.

“One day in the hospital, she had told Gregg and I, ‘I want to be on the other end of this gift giving, I want to see kids smile’,” said Tera Orman, Madi’s mom.

Madi’s mom Tera shares a special hand signal they shared:

Madi’s parents say this giving spirit and her hopeful heart kept her going through her battle with cancer, and later, her battle with graft vs. host disease.

“We did the best we could do to instill hope in this child, hope in the process, hope in the doctors, hope in the medication, hope that this is going to make me better. For all the world, we would never lose hope,” said Gregg Orman, Madi’s dad.

Madi lost her fight in July, surrounded by loved ones.

“Her eyes opened, she looked up into Heaven, she laid her head back and just stared up into Heaven, and God came and took her,” said Gregg.

Now Madi’s loved ones are taking action to preserve Madi’s legacy and thank her community for their continued support.

How Madi chose hope before announcing the Colts’ draft pick:

“We knew that we wanted to give back, and Madi wanted to give back. She loved her community, she loved her school, so we knew that this foundation would be something special and it would be the essence of Madi,” said Tera.

So begins the Madi’s Hope Foundation, which will work to fund character awards, blessing shelves at schools, and help cover expenses of parents whose children are sick.

We knew that this foundation would be something special and it would be the essence of Madi.

Tera Orman, Madi Moore’s mom

Tera says the foundation is a big project, but luckily, there’s a constant voice keeping things moving.

“I can just hear her (Madi) saying ‘hey guys, I love you, you can do this’,” said Tera.

And Tera says she can do this, and can make it through each day, because of the hope Madi embodied and the hope her legacy continues to spread.
“I feel like the most blessed woman in the world because I had this beautiful daughter, and she still is my daughter, and I’ll see her again, but right now I’ve got some business to attend to and I’ve got to help her, I’ve got to help her dreams come true,” said Tera.

Gregg and Tera say Madi herself approved the name of her foundation before she passed.

Tera says 16 area schools have already been identified as probable partners for the Madi Moore Character Award.