COTA, the Children's Organ Transplant Association is a national charity that provides fundraising assistance for children needing life-saving transplants and promotes organ, marrow and tissue donation. COTA's priority is to assure that no child or young adult is denied a transplant or excluded from a transplant waiting list due to lack of funds.

click on the logo above to transfer to COTA's own web site.

"As the lucky guy who has the wonderful opportunity to call these families to share the great news about the grants you have given, I get to hear the excitement in their voices and can tell you that I can sense the tremendous relief they have when they get the news.  What a pleasure for me to get to play “Santa Claus” every once in-a-while!"

Rick Lofgren, CFRE, President, COTA

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COTA has assisted more than 850 families with fundraising to meet transplant-related expenses…things not covered by insurance - from almost every state in the United States and every economic situation. They guide the family and their volunteers through every step including: organizing and training the campaign committee, planning successful events and activities, working with the media and finding multiple sources of funding.		COTA's goals are to meet the basic financial need of all new patients assist 2,500 new families by initiating patient fundraising campaigns generate at least $50,000 for each patient’s benefit create state-of-the-art website resources to benefit patient families, volunteers, transplant professionals and contributors manage relationships with key persons at the largest pediatric transplant centers. work to change organ donation laws work to increase the numbers of living donors.

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The Children's Organ Transplant Association has 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status to aid local campaigns in soliciting funds and all contributions are fully deductible as allowable by law for income tax purposes

We have just received an update from COTA on two of the children The PEACE Fund has helped to support that we would like to pass onto you, as this shows just how important your donations, however large or small are.

In the words of the President of COTA, Rick Logfern himself...

"Here are two of the sisters you helped earlier this year…sometimes families take a long time to say thank you (our staff gave this family a Christmas package last year), but as you read the note below and see their photo, you will feel a sense of joy that you made a difference for a struggling family! 

It is notes like this that make you stop and realize (especially around Thanksgiving and Christmas) how much your gifts are making a difference in the lives of kids… and how blessed we are to be able to be a part of this work"

And then the message received from Wendy and Kaylee's mother...

"I want to say thank you to everyone at COTA. Wendy and Kaylee are becoming "normal" kids once again.

Wendy's road was rougher and she still has a few miles to go. While Kalee has finally made it. This was more than our girls being sick. With the bad economy, it was also the survival of our family. Without cota, the girls wouldn't have had a home to come home to. The bank would have taken the house many times over by now if we had only our resources to fall back on.

Last year, we wouldn't have had a christmas without all of you. (I had bought each child something and planned to spend $20 at the thrift store.) I still tear up just thinking of the day the boxes arrived. Toby finally got his job back, but mine is gone for good. The girls have finally been approved for disability, which was a long hard fought battle. Thank you for showing us how to survive and caring enough to mean it. I know you have spent time with all of the cota families, none of us is just a name. Our children are important to you and it shows....

Thank you.

We start this update with a reminder as to just how much the fund donated mean in the words of the President of COTA Rick Lofgren himself.

"One of the things I always try to note with these updates with is that some of our families subsist with incomes below the federal poverty level.  With that, a $500 mortgage or rent payment may be such an insurmountable obstacle that it completely throws the family unit into chaos, so your $3,000 - $5,000 grants to each of these families makes a significant difference in their lives. "

Rick Lofgren, CFRE
President, Children's Organ Transplant Association

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Since preparing this page we have received an update on Victoria Roberts.

Her father, Chuck, sent COTA an email late last week saying that Victoria had her transplant in Seattle and is battling “graft vs. host disease” or GVHD.  GVHD is a chronic condition many bone marrow/cord blood patients experience where their body (the “host” in the name) tries to kill the good cells as they graft to the bone marrow in her body.  It is a difficult situation on a number of levels, but one that can be controlled with aggressive treatment if caught early enough.  Please say a prayer for her as this is a life-threatening situation.

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LOGAN BIERLEIN-TYLER
Logan is doing well, but according to his mom, Helen, a MRI and additional tests results showed that Logan has Double Cortex Syndrome with Missense Mutation.This diagnosis is very rare in males, and means that his brain did not form completely.  This has nothing to do with the transplant, and in fact, Logan is doing very well from the kidney transplant with no signs of rejection. 

Doctors say if he doesn’t walk by age 5, he never will.  The neurologist has him in physical therapy twice each week, as well as speech therapy and swim therapy. 

Logan is now able to attend pre-school, and his mom is able to work part-time again to help the family with living expenses.  Thanks in large part to your grant, the family and volunteers have raised a total of $11,333.  Helen has not updated the ‘journal’ section of their site recently but you can read more at: http://cotaforloganb.com/

EASTON BLANCHARD
Easton had his life-saving small bowel transplant at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh on June 30, 2008, and I met with his social worker this past March and she said he is doing “great” following the transplant.  His volunteers met his goal of $35,000, but Easton’s family had some local issues unrelated to COTA, and we removed their website so as not to cause them (or us) any additional problems.  Easton has a number of developmental issues that were not a result of his transplant, but prevent him from attending school currently.

VICTORIA ROBERTS
Chuck (dad) contacted our office recently and we learned that Victoria’s cancer has returned, and she has been hospitalized in Seattle for several months.  The good news is that her parents had a second child (Jack) in 2008, and they “banked” his cord blood, so they may be able to use this for her transplant. The campaign volunteers raised nearly $360,000 and have spent less than $60,000 of that total for normal medical and travel expenses.  Victoria’s family also began working with us before we began websites for every patient, so there is not one here for her.

SOPHIA BOYER
Sophia was successfully transplanted on Christmas Eve 2006 and has had some significant recent problems this year.   Her father recently wrote me that they are being told that she has stabilized, but may still need another transplant in the future.  Additionally, her younger sister, Tatum, was diagnosed with the same disease and will now also require a transplant, and her condition has actually deteriorated much more rapidly than Sophia.  Her fundraising concluded and they raised a little over $35,000, including your gift and our challenge grant.  Following this recent scare, the family’s volunteers have begun fundraising on a small scale but we are unable to assist further (they exhausted all COTA funds) as their medical bills are now being fully covered by Oregon Medicaid, and they need help with expenses that we cannot cover, i.e., missed mortgage payments unrelated to their transplant, and more with the declining economy.

VALERY HUTTNER
Valery, now nearly 18 months post-transplant, is a two-year-old child from West Columbia, South Carolina, who was successfully transplanted at Children’s Memorial Hospital in Chicago.  The Huttner family is home and Valery continues to make great progress.  Combined with your grant, their volunteers have raised more than $11,000 since they began.  Carling and Christopher Huttner regularly update their website – and have recent photos posted -- and you can see recent photos and read more about her progress at: http://cotaforvaleryh.com/

ELLISE JONES
We have not had regular contact with the family, other than to pay expenses on a nearly monthly basis, which is always a good sign.  When things do not go well, we will hear a lot from families and that is the point where I know things are not going well.  Ellise’s volunteers raised nearly $30,000 and her family began working with us before we began websites for every patient, so there is not one here for her, and they have not been interested in having one at this point.

JOSHUA RAY
Joshua is a two-year-old child from Smithfield, North Carolina who had his life-saving liver transplant at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, North Carolina on September 10, 2007. 

His volunteers raised more than $25,000, but he continues to experience health issues.

You can follow his progress at http://cotaforjoshuar.com/ which includes some Christmas 2008 photos.

NICKOLAS SHEEDER
Nickolas’s family moved from Texas to Colorado last year due to his dad’s work situation.  They concluded fundraising with just under $11,000, and are very pleased with their success – thanks in large part to the PEACE Fund.  Nickolas’ family began working with us before we began websites for every patient, so there is not one here for him and they also declined our offer to provide a website.

ELIJAH VANG
Nothing new since last April when Elijah’s mom said he was to return to school and was a “normal kid” -- just what we hope happens with all our children.  His campaign volunteers raised more than $16,000 for his care. Elijah’s family began working with us before we began websites for every patient, so there is not one for him and they also declined our offer to provide a website.

Probably the best introduction to this update are the words of the President of COTA Rick Lofgren himself, as this sums up the issues faced by the families so eloquently.

"One of the things I always try to note with these updates with is that some of our families subsist on very limited incomes on top of the current economic and market conditions.  With the rising cost of fuel oil this winter, and other day-to-day expenses these families incur what is a minor expense for most families turns into an incredible issue that can devastate the family.  Unfortunately, many of our children live in a single parent household, and this often precludes the mother from working and earning a modest income.

Because of this, an amount you and I might think is small may be deal-maker for these families, especially around the holidays.  Combined with a medical crisis like dialysis or a transplant, sometimes the smallest difference can help make the situation much more livable – especially when parents are able to focus on their child’s health."

Rick Lofgren, CFRE
President, Children's Organ Transplant Association

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The following is an update onthe children The PEACE Fund have been assisting written for us by Rick Lofgren from COTA.

Valery Huttner
Valery, (pictured left) now nearly 12 months post-transplant, is a year-old child from West Columbia, South Carolina, who was successfully transplanted at Children’s Memorial Hospital in Chicago.  The Huttner family is home and Valery continues to make great progress.  Combined with The PEACE Fund grant, their volunteers began raising funds, and have raised more than $11,000 since they began.  The PEACE Fund grant helped spur their volunteers on to do more for her benefit.  Carling and Christopher Huttner regularly update their website – and have Halloween photos posted -- and you can see recent photos and read more about her progress at: http://cotaforvaleryh.com/

Victoria Roberts
Jackie Tate spoke with Chuck (dad) again in late June and noted that Victoria enjoyed a full year as a “normal kid”, and that her success in school is borne out by straight ‘A’ grades in the third grade after only getting part of kindergarten under her belt before all of this started. Chuck noted, “Her blood counts are still really low and have not normalized, but we continue on in our faith. As far as she knows she has been healed.  The good news is she hasn't needed blood in over two years and continues to have an unbelievable attitude towards life. Thanks for asking and please continue to pray for her.”  The families volunteers raised nearly $360,000 and have spent less than $22,000 of that total for normal medical and travel expenses as they live three hours from the hospital where she is seen regularly.  Victoria’s family began working with COTA before we began websites for every patient, so there is not one here for her.

Ellise Jones
We have not had any real contact with the family, other than to pay expenses on a nearly monthly basis, which is always a good sign.  When things do not go well, we will hear a lot from families and that is the point where I know things are not going well.  Ellise is now in fifth grade and her volunteers raised nearly $29,000 and they have a balance of nearly $15,000.  Ellise’s family began working with us before we began websites for every patient, so there is not one here for her.

Joshua Ray
Joshua (pictured right) is a two-year-old baby from Smithfield, North Carolina who had his life-saving liver transplant at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, North Carolina on September 10, 2007.  His volunteers have stepped up again and have now raised more than $25,000 and his family still has significant bills following his successful transplant.  He continues to experience health issues, and recently broke his arm, but you can follow his progress online at http://cotaforjoshuar.com/ which includes some Halloween photos of Joshua.

Sophia Boyer
Sophia was successfully transplanted on Christmas Eve 2006 and was doing well until recent problems this year have caused significant health issues.  Additionally, her younger sister, Tatum, was diagnosed with the same disease and will now also require a transplant.  Her fundraising concluded last summer, and they raised a little over $34,000, including your gift and our challenge grant.  Following this recent scare, the family’s volunteers began fundraising on a small scale just in case it may be needed in the near future.  We are trying to work with them, but have recently been told that they are doing things “on their own” and have decided they no longer need to work with us even though we still have $16,000 remaining to help them out. My intuition is that they need help with expenses that we cannot cover, i.e., missed mortgage payments unrelated to their transplant.

Logan Beirlien-Tyler
Logan is doing very well, but according to his mom, Helen, a recent MRI showed that his brain didn’t form completely (while in the womb) causing gray matter resulting in delays for walking/talking, etc.  Doctors say if he doesn’t walk by age 5, he never will.  The neurologist has him in physical therapy twice each week, as well as speech therapy and swim therapy.  This has nothing to do with the transplant, and in fact, Logan is doing very well from the kidney transplant with no signs of rejection.  Logan is now able to attend pre-school, and his mom is able to work part-time again to help the family with living expenses.  Thanks in large part to The PEACE Fund grant, the family and volunteers have raised a total of $10,333.  Helen has not updated the ‘journal’ section of their site recently, but said she has added new photos – including his pre-school photo --  and you can read more at: http://cotaforloganb.com/

Nickolas Sheeder
Nickolas’s family moved from Texas to Colorado due to his dad’s work situation.  They concluded fundraising with just under $11,000, and are very pleased with their success – thanks in large part to the PEACE Fund.  Incidentally, their lead volunteer told me they were set to do a number of new fundraisers, but mom and dad felt they were ‘covered’ and asked everyone to stop.  I actually met with their social worker in New York on a recent trip and she told me the family often speaks with other families at the hospital about how COTA helped them, so they seem to be doing very well and love the services we provide.   Nickolas’ family began working with us before we began websites for every patient, so there is not one here for him.

In February this year The PEACE Fund made a further donation to COTA.

We have received an update from Rick Lofgren, the President of COTA, on the children The PEACE Fund have been supporting and we have pleasure in including this in full below.

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"Thank you again for the wonderful $10,000 grant you sent from The PEACE Fund this spring!  As it has been a few months since that grant, I wanted to provide additional detail as to where and how the grant has been used for our patients benefit. 

One of the things I always try to note with these updates with is that some of our families subsist with incomes of less than $15,000 annually.  With that, a $500 mortgage or rent payment may be such an insurmountable obstacle that it completely throws the family unit into chaos.  Sadly, too many of our children live in a single parent household, and that usually means a mother is caring for one or more children, without the assistance of a supportive and involved husband.

Because of this balancing act between being both a mother/caretaker and a provider, an amount you and I might think is insignificant may be life-changing to these families.  And with the additional trauma of an incredible medical crisis like dialysis or a transplant, sometimes the smallest difference can help make the situation much more livable – especially when financial concerns are removed and the parent can focus on their child’s health.

Here is an update on these children:

LOGAN BEIRLIEN TYLER:
Logan is doing very well, and his mom contacted us recently to say thanks for the timely and generous grant as they were having some tough times with day-to-day expenses upon returning home for the first time in more than three months in February.  Helen said they are doing well, but without a father in the picture, this family was living on less than $700 each month (from Social Security) as mom could not work until Logan resumed eating without a feeding tube, and that happened for the first time in late February.  Logan is now able to attend pre-school, and his mom is able to work part-time again to help the family with living expenses. Thanks in large part to your grant, the family and volunteers are closing in on the $10,000 mark. 

VALERY HUTTNER:
Valery, now six months post-transplant, is a year-old child from West Columbia, South Carolina, was successfully transplanted at Children’s Memorial Hospital in Chicago.  The Huttner family is now home and she continues to make great progress.  Combined with your grant, their volunteers began raising funds, and have raised more than $10,000 since they began, and the PEACE Fund grant helped spur their volunteers on to do more for her benefit. 

SOPHIA BOYER:
Sophia was successfully transplanted on Christmas Eve 2006 and was doing well until a recent problem (this April) with a portal vein (the main vein going into her liver).  She was admitted to the hospital and has been regaining strength as the doctor’s work to correct the problem.  Her mom spoke with one of our staff this week and said they have re-listed Sophia as the doctors are concerned that her liver is failing.  Her fundraising concluded last summer, and they raised a little over $31,000, including your gift and our challenge grant.  Following this recent scare, the family’s volunteers have begun fundraising on a small scale just in case it may be needed in the near future. 

VICTORIA ROBERTS:
Jackie Tate spoke with Chuck (dad) again in April and noted that Victoria’s numbers keep getting better and better and they are still hopeful that someday they’ll be able to give this money (nearly $360,000 raised) to another child.  The last conversation we had was that there was no indication that she was ill and the leukemia is gone.

ELIJAH VANG:
Nothing new since last April when Elijah’s mom said he was to return to school this past fall and was a “normal kid” -- just what we hope happens with all our children.  His campaign volunteers raised more than $16,000 for his care.

ELLISE JONES:
I spoke with Ellise’s mom, Brandy, last June after Ellise was successfully transplanted and worked on a couple of minor issues for her that kept her at the hospital in Cincinnati for an extended period (more than a month).  Brandy and Jackie speak occasionally about reimbursement questions, but all seems quiet (a very good thing!) at the Jones home, and Ellise should be completing the fourth grade now.  Ellise’s volunteers raised nearly $29,000. 

NICKOLAS SHEEDER:
 Nickolas’s family moved from Texas to Colorado due to his dad’s work situation earlier this year.  They concluded fundraising (less than $7,500) and are very pleased with their success – thanks in large part to the PEACE Fund.  Incidentally, their lead volunteer told me they were set to do a number of new fundraisers, but mom and dad felt they were ‘covered’ and asked everyone to stop.  

Thank you again for this wonderful grant."

Rick Lofgren, CFRE
President, Children’s Organ Transplant Association
Giving Hope … Making Miracles

In early February, The PEACE Fund was able to make another $10,000 donation to the Children's Organ Transplant Association. This brings the total of the Fund's involvement over the past three years to $40,000. This new donation will help two more children's fundraising efforts for life-saving organ donations and affiliated expenses.

Valery Huttner
Valerie, a ten-month-old child from West Columbia, South Carolina, was successfully transplanted on December 3, 2007 – another Thanksgiving/Christmas blessing! Valerie's grandmother was her partial-liver donor at Children’s Memorial Hospital in Chicago. Valerie is still in the hospital with follow-up care, but continues to make great progress. Speaking with her grandmother and mom, they said they are all doing well, but are looking forward to returning home in the coming months.

Their volunteers began raising funds, and were able to bring in more than $4,100 since late October, but with Grandma (one of the key volunteers) becoming the donor, many of the extended family members spent more time at the hospital than in their hometown raising funds. The family has bills of more than $5,000 to this point, and can expect thousands more in the future.

Logan Bierlein-Tyler
Born on September 11, 2004, Logan was diagnosed with End Stage Renal Disease. He underwent a life-saving liver-kidney transplant on November 28, 2007 - quite the Thanksgiving blessing for him and his mom! Logan and his mother were at the Primary Children's Hospital in Salt Lake City, Utah, for over three months following his surgery, until they returned home to Montana on February 11, 2008.

Logan's mother said they are doing well, but without a father actively in the picture, this family is living on less than $700 from Social Security, as Logan's mother cannot go back to work until Logan resumes eating without a feeding tube, and that may take several more weeks…or months. The family has had a difficult time raising funds - at the time Logan and his mom went to Salt Lake City for the surgery, only $2,150 had been raised toward the $30,000 cost of the operation. The donation from The PEACE Fund will provide a significant jump in fundraising for Logan, his mother, and the volunteers working on their behalf.

Easton Blanchard
Easton is still awaiting his life-saving small bowel transplant at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh.  His volunteers did not get off to a good start until December (they began in September), but they have come on strong and have nearly met his goal of $35,000 following a couple of successful events in February and March. 

Joshua Ray
Joshua is a 18-month-old baby from Smithfield, North Carolina who had his life-saving liver transplant at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, North Carolina on September 10, 2007.  His volunteers have stepped up again and have now raised more than $22,000 and his family still has significant bills following his successful transplant.  He continues to experience health issues.

We are very pleased to announce that a $15,000 donation to the Children's Organ Transplant Association (COTA) by The PEACE Fund will help three young children in their quest to live long, healthy and fulfilling lives.

When asked "Why COTA?" Adrian's response was:

"Because children like Ellise, Elijah and Victoria are what The PEACE Fund is all about. Each is a young child, living in very difficult circumstances. Each one is battling a life threatening disease that is curable - but that isn't going to happen without money. The PEACE Fund can help with that. Our efforts are all about raising funds so that the Ellise's, Elijah's and Victoria's of this world can have a real future that they can look forward to. And every time that someone bids on one of our auction items, or donates in other ways, these children's lives get that little bit easier..."

The PEACE Fund's donation of $15,000 will be distributed evenly amongst the three candidates chosen for assistance, and our hope is that by contributing to their fundraising drives, we will not only aid their efforts, but we will also inspire others to help these children and the COTA foundation in the future.

If you are interested in assisting Ellise, Elijah and Victoria and the many other children like them, why not CLICK HERE and pay a visit the COTA website.

"We are truly grateful for this generous donation from Adrian Paul and the PEACE Fund's staff and donors," added COTA Board Chairman Tony Paganelli. "This wonderful gift will be used to benefit three of our patients who have urgent transplant and post-transplant care needs, and who now have a second chance at life."