COTA for Ellie's Hope

Our Story

Ellie is a tender-hearted 6-year-old with a stubborn will to match. In the summer of 2017, Ellie was diagnosed with a rare kidney condition called nephrotic syndrome (NS) after she began retaining water. Several months later, a kidney biopsy revealed she had an even more rare form of NS called Focal Segmental Glomerular Sclerosis, or FSGS. Her kidneys were leaking out proteins from her blood and causing permanent scarring of her kidney filters. Several harsh treatments including high dose steroids and different immune suppressing medications all failed to give Ellie a lasting remission. This resulted in more than a dozen hospitalizations in her first two years of diagnosis. Her NS was so severe, she became dependent on daily albumin infusions to replace the protein in her blood and keep it from bottoming out. Ellie’s kidneys did not respond to treatment and within three short years, she reached kidney failure and was placed on life-saving dialysis in March of 2020. In November 2020, she had both her kidneys removed and in January 2021, she finally became active on the waiting list for a transplant. A kidney transplant will give Ellie the freedom to enjoy more life than she’s been able to experience. Due to Ellie’s age and the nature of this disease to reoccur in the transplant, she likely faces the reality of another transplant in the future and possibly even further treatments to achieve remission in the newly transplanted kidney.

We are partnering with The Children’s Organ Transplant Association (COTA) to raise funds in honor of Ellie Mullins. 100% of the donations raised will be available for a lifetime and will assist with transplant-related expenses, such as treatment, diagnosis, and travel to Cook Children’s Hospital in Fort Worth, Texas where Ellie’s amazing team of doctors provide great care.

Thank you all so much for the support and prayers for our family. We are incredibly blessed and give thanks to God as He prepares us for what’s to come!

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.