Boothe is nine years old, and he is in the fourth grade. Boothe enjoys video games, going to the waterpark, nerf battles and his dogs. He is an excellent student and loves going to school! He is full of jokes, and rarely is he seen without a smile on his face. He also enjoys playing football with his friends, although he is taking the season off due to chronic pancreatitis. When he grows up, he wants to have a career in law enforcement.

Boothe has been suffering with unexplained abdominal pain since 2018, and at times it can be very severe. He was seen several times in the local Emergency Department, but they could never accurately diagnose the source of his pain. Every visit, he would undergo CT scans and bloodwork, but the cause remained a mystery. In November 2022, he had a particularly severe attack. It was clear that this was not normal abdominal pain; he was taken from the local ER by ambulance to a nearby Children’s Hospital. It was there that the doctors discovered that Boothe was suffering from pancreatitis, and from the damage to his pancreas it appeared to be a chronic condition. He remained there for four more days recovering from that episode. After discharge, the long road began.

From there, Boothe was referred to Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, as they have a pancreatic care center for children. It was there that his genetic testing revealed the PRSS1 gene mutation that predisposed him to pancreatitis. Others in his family have suffered from a similar condition. The surgeons at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital attempted two ERCPs, or Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography, in hopes of placing a stent to alleviate some of Boothe’s pain. Both attempts proved unsuccessful. Boothe’s pancreas had too much scarring and narrowing to allow for the placement of that stent. Boothe’s team had exhausted all minimally invasive options for his condition and recommended having him evaluated as a candidate for TPIAT. TPIAT stands for Total Pancreatectomy with Islet Auto Transplantation. After consulting with several teams that would be involved during and following TPIAT, they determined that Boothe was a good candidate for surgery. His surgery is scheduled for November 2023.

This surgery means an overall, long-term improvement in Boothe’s quality of life. The procedure is a miracle for those that undergo it, but it is not without struggles. The surgery is roughly twelve hours. During surgery they will remove Boothe’s pancreas, spleen, gallbladder, appendix, and a portion of the small intestine. Without the pancreas, he will require daily pancreatic enzymes to aid in digestion. Prior to surgery, he will require vaccines to support his immune system due to the removal of his spleen. Islet cells will be harvested from his pancreas and transplanted back into his liver at the end of surgery. The reason for this is that the islet cells can learn to make insulin in the liver, which could prevent or lessen Boothe’s insulin dependence. Boothe’s recovery will be a long one, but with the help of his team and loved ones, he is ready.

Boothe and his family have been traveling back and forth to Cincinnati for procedures and follow ups. A medical condition of this magnitude can come with many expenses. Some of these are the surgery itself, hospital stay, travel, relocation expenses, follow-ups, treatments, and medications for the rest of Boothe’s life. Boothe and his family are working with COTA, or Children’s Organ Transplant Association, to raise funds in honor of Boothe to assist with transplant-related expenses. Every single donation, no matter how big or small, to COTA in honor of Boothe is greatly appreciated and COTA funds will be used to change Boothe’s life for the better. Our family truly appreciates all the support and donations to COTA in honor of Boothe’s battle with pancreatitis.

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.