Adam Kurth $20 for 2020 COTA Virtual Graduation

Adam Kurth $20 for 2020 COTA Graduation Campaign

Despite missing 25 days of schooling, his grades and classes are on track, and Adam Kurth, who received a liver transplant a month ago, will graduate with his class on May 21, 2020, from Desert Mountain High School.

Background:  At the age of 17, Adam Kurth found out he had primary sclerosing cholangitis or PSC.  PSC is a disease that creates a long-term progressive dysfunction of the liver. 

PSC causes inflammation and scarring of the bile ducts, which generally allow the bile to drain from the liver.  The bile duct scarring, which occurs in PSC, narrows the canals of the biliary tree and impedes the flow of bile from the liver to the intestines. Eventually, it can lead to cirrhosis of the liver and liver failure. When the onset occurs in children, the disease is usually more aggressive.  PSC also increases the risk of various cancers. 

Fortunately for Kurth, he was able to receive a liver donation, thanks to the Phoenix Children’s Hospital and a donor.  The transplant took place on April 3, 2020.  

But after graduation, and a liver transplant in the middle of the pandemic, Kurth will continue with numerous medications, hospital checkups, and more to ensure his new liver remains healthy.

A study of his original liver post-transplant showed lymphoma. Kurth is one of a handful of documented cases to have both PSC and lymphoma. Phoenix Children’s is hopeful that they removed it all with the transplant, but Kurth will undergo chemotherapy in the coming months to make sure.

His family has partnered with the Children’s Organ Transplant Association (COTA) for fundraising assistance and family support. A transplant costs $100,000 to 800,000. Even if covered by insurance, families face out-of-pocket expenses that add up to tens of thousands of dollars annually for transplant families with lifetime totals exceeding $1,000,000. In cases where a shortfall exists, COTA helps bridge the financial gap. COTA funds assist with current and future transplant-related expenses.

Thus, COTA for Adam Kurth is asking for $20, for 20 days, from 2020 people to get closer to our team’s goal of $60,000 to assist with a lifetime of transplant-related expenses.

Posted May 21, 2020October 27, 2023