For more than 10 years Emma Bledsoe has suffered from acute pancreatitis. Her first attack was when she was 5 years old; since then she has been hospitalized more than 50 times in her young life. Emma has a genetic marker called PSSR1. It has affected most of her family on her mother’s side. Her younger sister and 2 young cousins also share the gene along with her mother and aunt.
Emma has had several procedures over the years to help relieve pain and help with the overall functioning of her pancreas.
When Emma was in the 6th Grade, she had a really bad attack that she didn’t bounce back from easily. After many doctor visits and scans, Emma was diagnosed with a Pseudocyst that was growing off the tail of her pancreas. At that time, we were able to drain the cyst and the pain was able to decrease. Since then, we have monitored her with imaging every 6 months. She was clear for several years until October of 2024.
Emma had a flare up and then two weeks later had another flare up. At that time, I knew something was wrong. We got more imaging and she was again diagnosed with not just one but two pseudocysts growing off her pancreas. At that time our doctor gave us two options: pain management for possibly the rest of her life or undergoing a life-changing 12-hour surgery to hopefully end her long battle with pancreatitis. She will have a TPIAT (Total Pancreatectomy Islet Auto Transplantation) surgery at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, which will remove her pancreas, Gallbladder and possibly her spleen. The procedure includes extracting Emma’s islet cells, which produce insulin, from her pancreas and transplanting them into her liver in hopes they will produce insulin there. Emma will be in the hospital in Ohio for a minimum of 6-8 weeks. While the recovery period is long, Emma is very optimistic about this procedure and hopes it ends her chronic pain and allow her to be a normal teenager.
As you can imagine, the transplant procedure, recurring doctor visits, and lifelong medication will result in high, ongoing medical costs. We sincerely appreciate your kind donations to COTA in honor of Emma Jane, which assist with these costs.
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.