COTA for Allen's Journey

Our Story

When I was a kid, I could never keep up. Running track was a struggle, and I remember wondering why something that seemed so easy for everyone else felt impossible for me. My parents took me to countless doctors and specialists, searching for answers, but no one could ever explain my symptoms. Eventually, I learned to live with them, believing that was just the way I was.

Years later, our world changed forever when our son suffered a sudden cardiac arrest. In the middle of the fear and uncertainty, genetic testing finally gave us the answer that had been missing my entire life.

I have hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

The diagnosis didn’t stop with me. It explained what happened to our son, and then we learned our daughter had it, too. In an instant, one diagnosis became our family’s reality.

Watching both of my children face the same disease has been one of the hardest things I’ve ever experienced. As a father, you want to protect your kids from everything, but this was something I unknowingly passed on to them. That’s a weight I carry every day.

Our daughter has already received her miracle. Thanks to the incredible gift of organ donation, she was given a second chance at life. Watching her smile, play, and simply be a kid again is something I’ll never take for granted.

Now, my son and I wait.

We both live with the hope that one day we’ll receive the same life-saving gift. Waiting for a transplant is a constant reminder that life is fragile, but it’s also a reminder of how powerful hope can be.

If sharing our story encourages just one family to get screened for hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, or inspires one person to become an organ donor, then every vulnerable moment is worth it.

My daughter’s miracle reminds us every day that miracles are real.

Now, my son and I are holding onto faith as we wait for ours.

The Children’s Organ Transplant Association (COTA) helps children who need a life-saving transplant by providing fundraising assistance and family support. COTA also works with individuals of any age with a single-gene disorder such as Polycystic Kidney Disease, Cystic Fibrosis or Sickle Cell Disease. COTA is the nation’s only fundraising organization solely dedicated to raising life-saving dollars in honor of transplant-needy families. 100% of each contribution made to COTA in honor of our patients helps meet transplant-related expenses. COTA’s services are free of charge and gifts to COTA are tax deductible to the fullest extent of the law.