{"id":223,"date":"2025-07-01T23:56:07","date_gmt":"2025-07-01T23:56:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cota.org\/cotaforcaitlynn\/?p=223"},"modified":"2025-07-02T14:10:38","modified_gmt":"2025-07-02T14:10:38","slug":"pediatric-liver-champion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cota.org\/cotaforcaitlynn\/2025\/07\/01\/pediatric-liver-champion\/","title":{"rendered":"Pediatric Liver Champion"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

This year, Caitlynn was chosen as the Pediatric Liver Champion for the American Liver Foundation Walk in Charlotte, NC.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many of you know the journey we’ve walked: the hospital stays, the fear, the prayers, and ultimately, the gift of life through a liver transplant. What you may not see is the strength Caitlynn carries every single day, or the hope she gives to others by simply being here (THIS!). She used her story to raise awareness for liver disease and to support the families still fighting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The American Liver Foundation conducts research, supports families, and saves lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"May
Dad couldn\u2019t be any prouder of her courage, her smile, and her heart. \"\ud83d\udcaa\"<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Guess who got her NG tube out today! This girl is doing amazing and really getting back on track after out last extended stay at Hotel Levine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"\/
May 8th, Ethiopian food was requested, it\u2019s delicious if you have not tried it.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

(May 20th) Cait is on a quick \u201cgetaway\u201d to Hotel Levine for a few days. Overall, Cait\u2019s doing well, but her bilirubin levels have been rising. An MRI on Monday showed some dilation in her bile ducts. She\u2019s scheduled for a procedure tomorrow to place a stent to help improve the flow. It\u2019s a fairly common procedure, and if all goes smoothly, we\u2019re hoping to be home by Thursday. On a lighter note, we got a fancy remodeled room. However, while it’s cool to watch helicopters come and go, they sure are noisy. Thanks for all the continued love and support, we feel it every step of the way<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cait Is at Livine…Again<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

On May 20th, Cait was admitted to Levine on Tuesday night with plans for an endoscopy on Wednesday morning to place a stent in her bile duct. Unfortunately, the duct was so blocked with “stricture” that they couldn’t get the stent in. This blockage explained a lot about her elevated liver numbers and high bilirubin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Thursday morning, they expedited another procedure where they accessed the main bile duct through the top of her liver. This approach also wasn\u2019t <\/a>fully successful in placing the stent, but they did manage to insert a small drain tube (think \u201cFrench drain\u201d) to help. The tube can drain from both ends and exits through her side. While this isn\u2019t a permanent solution, the good news is that it\u2019s working, the drainage is reducing her liver and bilirubin levels to numbers we haven\u2019t seen since before February.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Essentially, her main bile duct had dilated so much it was barely allowing bile to drain from her liver, leading to those high numbers. Long term, it\u2019s likely they\u2019ll need to rebuild the bile duct. These procedures have been painful for her, and as if that wasn\u2019t enough, she\u2019s also developed pancreatitis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We had hoped to be home by Thursday, but due to these complications, we\u2019re now hoping to be discharged tomorrow returning sometime next week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019re hopeful that we can still attend the Savannah Bananas game on June 6th and the Liver Walk with the American Liver Foundation on June 7th. Because of this, she\u2019ll likely keep the drain tube in place until those events are over.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last night was tough, Caitlynn didn\u2019t respond well to Ativan, struggling from 10pm to 3am, stuff really messed her up 10 out of 10 not recommended treatment for that girly. Thankfully, today has been brighter. Her color is returning, her pain is more manageable, and she even has the energy to leave her room again. She\u2019s not walking yet, but she\u2019s wanting to get up. She\u2019s finally eating (the first time since Tuesday), and we\u2019re hopeful she\u2019ll start bouncing back quickly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For now, things are moving in the right direction. It\u2019s been a lot for Caitlynn, but we\u2019re so encouraged by the progress we\u2019re seeing. One day at a time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"In<\/a>
This girl inspires us every single day with her strength and wisdom. She leaves an impression on everyone she meets.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

———————————————————————————————<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Awesome event yesterday! Huge thank you to everyone OneCloud<\/a> for showing up and supporting this cause.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Walkers<\/a>
Nearly 100 million Americans are affected by liver disease, organizers said. (Picture courtesy of WSOC-TV<\/strong><\/a> )<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Walkers gather at McAlpine Creek Park in Charlotte, NC, to raise money, awareness for those affected by liver disease<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"May<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This year, Caitlynn was chosen as the Pediatric Liver Champion for the American Liver Foundation Walk in Charlotte, NC. Many of you know the journey we’ve walked: the hospital stays, the fear, the prayers, and ultimately, the gift of life through a liver transplant. What you may not see is the strength Caitlynn carries every […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1954,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-223","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nPediatric Liver Champion - COTA for Caitlynn<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/cota.org\/cotaforcaitlynn\/2025\/07\/01\/pediatric-liver-champion\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Pediatric Liver Champion\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"This year, Caitlynn was chosen as the Pediatric Liver Champion for the American Liver Foundation Walk in Charlotte, NC. Many of you know the journey we’ve walked: the hospital stays, the fear, the prayers, and ultimately, the gift of life through a liver transplant. What you may not see is the strength Caitlynn carries every […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/cota.org\/cotaforcaitlynn\/2025\/07\/01\/pediatric-liver-champion\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"COTA for Caitlynn\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-07-01T23:56:07+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-07-02T14:10:38+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/scontent-atl3-3.xx.fbcdn.net\/v\/t39.30808-6\/494281624_10241477959185558_7205611493897260594_n.jpg?_nc_cat=107&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=127cfc&_nc_ohc=OZMybJM-ltQQ7kNvwGMiTjl&_nc_oc=AdkiIxEkd74ctwbA_zUJemoTvkggzIXRro12W9NC9hdXExySs3EvBJ-svjzzpMWMJzo&_nc_zt=23&_nc_ht=scontent-atl3-3.xx&_nc_gid=AXnKiE3ab3mrPse9NfHXgQ&oh=00_AfPQmtVK812qTyH3cwDmulyHYBVe1lQnvA9lwaI7HYmcIg&oe=686A4C06\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"markruss\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"markruss\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cota.org\/cotaforcaitlynn\/2025\/07\/01\/pediatric-liver-champion\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/cota.org\/cotaforcaitlynn\/2025\/07\/01\/pediatric-liver-champion\/\",\"name\":\"Pediatric Liver Champion - COTA for Caitlynn\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cota.org\/cotaforcaitlynn\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cota.org\/cotaforcaitlynn\/2025\/07\/01\/pediatric-liver-champion\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cota.org\/cotaforcaitlynn\/2025\/07\/01\/pediatric-liver-champion\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/scontent-atl3-3.xx.fbcdn.net\/v\/t39.30808-6\/494281624_10241477959185558_7205611493897260594_n.jpg?_nc_cat=107&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=127cfc&_nc_ohc=OZMybJM-ltQQ7kNvwGMiTjl&_nc_oc=AdkiIxEkd74ctwbA_zUJemoTvkggzIXRro12W9NC9hdXExySs3EvBJ-svjzzpMWMJzo&_nc_zt=23&_nc_ht=scontent-atl3-3.xx&_nc_gid=AXnKiE3ab3mrPse9NfHXgQ&oh=00_AfPQmtVK812qTyH3cwDmulyHYBVe1lQnvA9lwaI7HYmcIg&oe=686A4C06\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-07-01T23:56:07+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-07-02T14:10:38+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cota.org\/cotaforcaitlynn\/#\/schema\/person\/a75b00baee53eeee8240239531c7a2fa\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cota.org\/cotaforcaitlynn\/2025\/07\/01\/pediatric-liver-champion\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/cota.org\/cotaforcaitlynn\/2025\/07\/01\/pediatric-liver-champion\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cota.org\/cotaforcaitlynn\/2025\/07\/01\/pediatric-liver-champion\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/scontent-atl3-3.xx.fbcdn.net\/v\/t39.30808-6\/494281624_10241477959185558_7205611493897260594_n.jpg?_nc_cat=107&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=127cfc&_nc_ohc=OZMybJM-ltQQ7kNvwGMiTjl&_nc_oc=AdkiIxEkd74ctwbA_zUJemoTvkggzIXRro12W9NC9hdXExySs3EvBJ-svjzzpMWMJzo&_nc_zt=23&_nc_ht=scontent-atl3-3.xx&_nc_gid=AXnKiE3ab3mrPse9NfHXgQ&oh=00_AfPQmtVK812qTyH3cwDmulyHYBVe1lQnvA9lwaI7HYmcIg&oe=686A4C06\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/scontent-atl3-3.xx.fbcdn.net\/v\/t39.30808-6\/494281624_10241477959185558_7205611493897260594_n.jpg?_nc_cat=107&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=127cfc&_nc_ohc=OZMybJM-ltQQ7kNvwGMiTjl&_nc_oc=AdkiIxEkd74ctwbA_zUJemoTvkggzIXRro12W9NC9hdXExySs3EvBJ-svjzzpMWMJzo&_nc_zt=23&_nc_ht=scontent-atl3-3.xx&_nc_gid=AXnKiE3ab3mrPse9NfHXgQ&oh=00_AfPQmtVK812qTyH3cwDmulyHYBVe1lQnvA9lwaI7HYmcIg&oe=686A4C06\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cota.org\/cotaforcaitlynn\/2025\/07\/01\/pediatric-liver-champion\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/cota.org\/cotaforcaitlynn\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Pediatric Liver Champion\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cota.org\/cotaforcaitlynn\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/cota.org\/cotaforcaitlynn\/\",\"name\":\"COTA for Caitlynn\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/cota.org\/cotaforcaitlynn\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cota.org\/cotaforcaitlynn\/#\/schema\/person\/a75b00baee53eeee8240239531c7a2fa\",\"name\":\"markruss\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cota.org\/cotaforcaitlynn\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/dc32cd958f80952cc9659defbd0dab70712ce16541eccfed54afc242ef5a61dc?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/dc32cd958f80952cc9659defbd0dab70712ce16541eccfed54afc242ef5a61dc?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"markruss\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/cota.org\/cotaforcaitlynn\/author\/markruss\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Pediatric Liver Champion - COTA for Caitlynn","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/cota.org\/cotaforcaitlynn\/2025\/07\/01\/pediatric-liver-champion\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Pediatric Liver Champion","og_description":"This year, Caitlynn was chosen as the Pediatric Liver Champion for the American Liver Foundation Walk in Charlotte, NC. Many of you know the journey we’ve walked: the hospital stays, the fear, the prayers, and ultimately, the gift of life through a liver transplant. What you may not see is the strength Caitlynn carries every […]","og_url":"https:\/\/cota.org\/cotaforcaitlynn\/2025\/07\/01\/pediatric-liver-champion\/","og_site_name":"COTA for Caitlynn","article_published_time":"2025-07-01T23:56:07+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-07-02T14:10:38+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/scontent-atl3-3.xx.fbcdn.net\/v\/t39.30808-6\/494281624_10241477959185558_7205611493897260594_n.jpg?_nc_cat=107&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=127cfc&_nc_ohc=OZMybJM-ltQQ7kNvwGMiTjl&_nc_oc=AdkiIxEkd74ctwbA_zUJemoTvkggzIXRro12W9NC9hdXExySs3EvBJ-svjzzpMWMJzo&_nc_zt=23&_nc_ht=scontent-atl3-3.xx&_nc_gid=AXnKiE3ab3mrPse9NfHXgQ&oh=00_AfPQmtVK812qTyH3cwDmulyHYBVe1lQnvA9lwaI7HYmcIg&oe=686A4C06","type":"","width":"","height":""}],"author":"markruss","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"markruss","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/cota.org\/cotaforcaitlynn\/2025\/07\/01\/pediatric-liver-champion\/","url":"https:\/\/cota.org\/cotaforcaitlynn\/2025\/07\/01\/pediatric-liver-champion\/","name":"Pediatric Liver Champion - COTA for Caitlynn","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/cota.org\/cotaforcaitlynn\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/cota.org\/cotaforcaitlynn\/2025\/07\/01\/pediatric-liver-champion\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/cota.org\/cotaforcaitlynn\/2025\/07\/01\/pediatric-liver-champion\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/scontent-atl3-3.xx.fbcdn.net\/v\/t39.30808-6\/494281624_10241477959185558_7205611493897260594_n.jpg?_nc_cat=107&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=127cfc&_nc_ohc=OZMybJM-ltQQ7kNvwGMiTjl&_nc_oc=AdkiIxEkd74ctwbA_zUJemoTvkggzIXRro12W9NC9hdXExySs3EvBJ-svjzzpMWMJzo&_nc_zt=23&_nc_ht=scontent-atl3-3.xx&_nc_gid=AXnKiE3ab3mrPse9NfHXgQ&oh=00_AfPQmtVK812qTyH3cwDmulyHYBVe1lQnvA9lwaI7HYmcIg&oe=686A4C06","datePublished":"2025-07-01T23:56:07+00:00","dateModified":"2025-07-02T14:10:38+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/cota.org\/cotaforcaitlynn\/#\/schema\/person\/a75b00baee53eeee8240239531c7a2fa"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/cota.org\/cotaforcaitlynn\/2025\/07\/01\/pediatric-liver-champion\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/cota.org\/cotaforcaitlynn\/2025\/07\/01\/pediatric-liver-champion\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/cota.org\/cotaforcaitlynn\/2025\/07\/01\/pediatric-liver-champion\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/scontent-atl3-3.xx.fbcdn.net\/v\/t39.30808-6\/494281624_10241477959185558_7205611493897260594_n.jpg?_nc_cat=107&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=127cfc&_nc_ohc=OZMybJM-ltQQ7kNvwGMiTjl&_nc_oc=AdkiIxEkd74ctwbA_zUJemoTvkggzIXRro12W9NC9hdXExySs3EvBJ-svjzzpMWMJzo&_nc_zt=23&_nc_ht=scontent-atl3-3.xx&_nc_gid=AXnKiE3ab3mrPse9NfHXgQ&oh=00_AfPQmtVK812qTyH3cwDmulyHYBVe1lQnvA9lwaI7HYmcIg&oe=686A4C06","contentUrl":"https:\/\/scontent-atl3-3.xx.fbcdn.net\/v\/t39.30808-6\/494281624_10241477959185558_7205611493897260594_n.jpg?_nc_cat=107&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=127cfc&_nc_ohc=OZMybJM-ltQQ7kNvwGMiTjl&_nc_oc=AdkiIxEkd74ctwbA_zUJemoTvkggzIXRro12W9NC9hdXExySs3EvBJ-svjzzpMWMJzo&_nc_zt=23&_nc_ht=scontent-atl3-3.xx&_nc_gid=AXnKiE3ab3mrPse9NfHXgQ&oh=00_AfPQmtVK812qTyH3cwDmulyHYBVe1lQnvA9lwaI7HYmcIg&oe=686A4C06"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/cota.org\/cotaforcaitlynn\/2025\/07\/01\/pediatric-liver-champion\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/cota.org\/cotaforcaitlynn\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Pediatric Liver Champion"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/cota.org\/cotaforcaitlynn\/#website","url":"https:\/\/cota.org\/cotaforcaitlynn\/","name":"COTA for Caitlynn","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/cota.org\/cotaforcaitlynn\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/cota.org\/cotaforcaitlynn\/#\/schema\/person\/a75b00baee53eeee8240239531c7a2fa","name":"markruss","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/cota.org\/cotaforcaitlynn\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/dc32cd958f80952cc9659defbd0dab70712ce16541eccfed54afc242ef5a61dc?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/dc32cd958f80952cc9659defbd0dab70712ce16541eccfed54afc242ef5a61dc?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"markruss"},"url":"https:\/\/cota.org\/cotaforcaitlynn\/author\/markruss\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cota.org\/cotaforcaitlynn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/223","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cota.org\/cotaforcaitlynn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cota.org\/cotaforcaitlynn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cota.org\/cotaforcaitlynn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1954"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cota.org\/cotaforcaitlynn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=223"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/cota.org\/cotaforcaitlynn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/223\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cota.org\/cotaforcaitlynn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=223"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}