Aiden is just 17 years old, but his journey has already been marked by more pain and resilience than most people face in a lifetime. At only 6 years old, Aiden started having his first episodes of acute pancreatitis. For 2 years, the doctors were not sure what exactly was wrong with Aiden. It wasn\u2019t until the age of 8 years old that he was diagnosed with a rare SPINK1 genetic mutation. What began as sudden, severe attacks turned into chronic pancreatitis\u2014leaving him in daily pain and drastically changing the course of his childhood.
Instead of school events, sports, and time with friends, Aiden has spent years in and out of hospitals, fighting to manage a condition that never truly gave him a break. In October 2025, he began treatment at Cincinnati Children\u2019s Hospital, undergoing multiple ERCP procedures in hopes of finding relief. Despite every effort, his condition continued to worsen.
On March 3, 2026, Aiden underwent a major, life-altering surgery: a Total Pancreatectomy with Islet Auto Transplant (TPIAT). His doctors shared that his pancreas was one of the most severely damaged they had seen in years\u2014a heartbreaking confirmation of just how much he has endured.
Aiden has lost much of what should have been his high school years to this illness\u2014moments that can never be replaced. Especially his opportunities with baseball, which he excelled highly at and still loves to this day.\u00a0Yet through it all, he continues to show strength, courage, and a determination to keep going, even on his hardest days.
We are now asking for support to COTA for Aiden as Aiden begins this next chapter of healing and recovery. Your help will go toward transplant-related expenses, such as ongoing medical needs, recovery expenses, and giving him a chance to rebuild the life that chronic illness has taken from him.
Thank you for taking the time to read Aiden\u2019s story and for standing with him on this journey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Children\u2019s Organ Transplant Association (COTA) helps children and young adults who need a life-saving transplant by providing fundraising assistance and family support. COTA is the nation\u2019s only fundraising organization solely dedicated to raising life-saving dollars in honor of transplant-needy children and young adults. 100% of each contribution made to COTA in honor of our patients helps meet transplant-related expenses. COTA\u2019s services are free to our families, and gifts to COTA are tax deductible to the fullest extent of the law.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Aiden is just 17 years old, but his journey has already been marked by more pain and resilience than most people face in a lifetime. At only 6 years old, Aiden started having his first episodes of acute pancreatitis. For 2 years, the doctors were not sure what exactly was wrong with Aiden. It wasn\u2019t […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":89,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-14","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n