COTA for A Miracle for Jackson

Our Story

Dear Friends, Family, and Kindhearted Strangers,

At only eleven years old, Jackson has already shown the world what true courage, resilience, and joy look like. His journey began before birth, when he fought through a complicated pregnancy and an unexpected NICU stay. What seemed like the end of a medical struggle became the beginning of a five-year search for answers—filled with tests, surgeries, and treatments, all without a diagnosis. Through it all, Jackson’s laughter, hugs, and bright spirit never wavered.

In June 2023, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital offered a glimmer of hope: the possibility of a life-saving intestinal transplant. But just months later, in August 2023, Jackson suffered severe seizures that opened a new and frightening chapter. The day after his 9th birthday, he declined so rapidly that doctors in San Antonio placed him on ECMO to keep him alive. Against all odds, Jackson survived life support not once, but multiple times, as he endured complications that required urgent, invasive interventions.

Over the next fifteen months, Jackson worked tirelessly through intense therapies, making slow but meaningful progress. By October 2024, the team at Cincinnati Children’s determined he had regained enough strength to be officially listed for an intestinal transplant.

On August 18, 2025, Jackson received his miracle. During a fifteen-hour overnight surgery, the remarkable team at Cincinnati Children’s removed his gallbladder, part of his stomach, and performed a total bowel transplant—an extraordinary procedure that replaces not only the digestive organs but also a major part of the immune system.

Although the transplant surgery was a success, Jackson’s journey is far from over. Since surgery, he has developed GVHD and an infection related to the transfer of immune systems. He now requires continuous monitoring to treat these complications, watch for rejection, manage pain, and support both his physical and emotional recovery. Each day brings new challenges—and new victories.

We are asking for your support as Jackson, his mom, and his four siblings navigate the long road ahead. Your generosity helps provide transplant-related expenses and ensures that Jackson receives the specialized care, travel, and resources he needs to continue healing and growing stronger. Every donation, every prayer, and every act of kindness moves us one step closer to the miracles we believe in.

Thank you for being part of a miracle for Jackson!

With gratitude,

The Jacobs Family

About COTA

The Children’s 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’s 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’s services are free to our families, and gifts to COTA are tax deductible to the fullest extent of the law.