On February 1, 2011, our family celebrated the birth of our first child Ethan William Dowd. He weighed a healthy 8 lb. 4.4 oz. and was perfect in everyway.

Twenty-four hours after his birth, when we should have been packing our things and heading home from the hospital, Ethan’s vitals crashed and he fell into a coma. Shortly after, he was diagnosed with a very rare life threatening condition; Ornithine transcarbamylase (OTC). OTC deficiency is a rare X-linked genetic disorder characterized by complete or partial lack of the enzyme ornithine transcarbamylase (OTC). OTC is one of six enzymes that play a role in the break down and removal of nitrogen in the body, a process known as the urea cycle.

The wonderful doctors at CHOC were able to rescue him but told us without a liver transplant our son would not survive.

Ethan received his life saving gift May 19, 2011 at only three months of age. Today Ethan is a happy, healthy eight-year-old boy. 

Ethan will continue to take medication and be monotered for the rest of his life. The donations to COTA in his honor assist with transplant-related expenses.

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.