Elijah will have a rare 16-hour surgery in Cincinnati, Ohio, on November 5, 2024. He and his mother will be in Ohio for about 4-6 weeks, possibly longer. The team of amazing surgeons and specialists will be removing his pancreas, spleen, appendix and gallbladder and rerouting his gastrointestinal tract.

Elijah is an amazing and kind teen from Pittsburgh, PA, who has been suffering for years with Acute/Chronic Pancreatitis. Elijah is a Junior at Burrell High School and would like to go to college to study accounting. He is in the Marching Band and loves the band O.A.R among so many others; he is a music enthusiast and he finds comfort in music. 

T.P.I.A.T is a very rare surgery and only a few select hospitals in the USA perform the surgery:

• Elijah was first diagnosed with Recurrent acute pancreatitis in 2019. He had been admitted over 13 times for this rare disease. We had genetic testing done and Elijah is a carrier of the cystic fibrosis gene called CFTR. He also had numerous medical procedures done to try and help his Chronic Pancreatitis, none were successful that is why we moved in the direction of this complex surgery .
• Gastroenterology (GI)
  Surgery
  Endocrinology
  Pain Management
  Behavioral Medicine and Clinical Psychology (BMCP)
  Physical Therapy
  Social Work
  Infectious Disease

After their operation your child will recover in the PICU. All TPIAT patients stay in the PICU. During this time, the team works to maintain good blood glucose control. 

• IVs that give medicine or fluids
• A tube in the nose to suction out fluid from the stomach
• A breathing tube in the mouth
• A urine catheter
• Tubes in the abdomen to drain extra fluids
• A GJ feeding tube in the abdomen

Elijah will then move to the diabetes unit while he continues to heal. This is where the endocrinologist and the diabetes education team will focus on diabetes education. We will learn about diabetes, an insulin pump, a continuous glucose monitor, the feeding tube, and new medications.

Recovering after TPIAT

The weeks and months following surgery are very important for Elija’s long-term success. We will remain in Greater Cincinnati for about four to six weeks after leaving the hospital.

We will also have to live in Cincinnati for a few months while he is in the hospital and through his recovery. COTA will help our family with transplant-related expenses, such as medications, diabetic supplies, and travel expenses to Cincinnati. Please remember our family in your prayers as we go through this journey, and consider donating to COTA in honor of Elijah Spencer!

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.