Faith McDonnell was said to have no kidneys in utero. Her parents, Scott and Kelly, were given little to no hope for her survival and were told to abort her. Doctors said they needed a miracle.  After many weeks of specialists appointments, Faith was born 6 weeks early. She peed on the dr who suggested she be aborted. After getting her stable they learned there was a very small piece of kidney tissue on the right. At four months old there was an ultrasound to check the size of that piece of kidney. That ultrasound resulted in showing a larger and better functioning kidney on the left where there had been nothing. This kidney could not be medically explained; they got their miracle! Those kidneys carried faith into her preteen years with the help of nephrologist and urologist and many prayers. In Faith’s preteen and early teen years, she battled recurring UTIs. In her kidneys weakened state, one infection proved to be more than her body could handle. She was septic and near death Thanksgiving night of 2014. This is when it was decided that she would need a kidney transplant, preferably preemptive as to not have to be on dialysis  Faith’s, daddy, Scott was her donor in June of 2015. He gave her 9 1/2 years of good life before that kidney went into rejection on Christmas Eve of 2024  Do you see the theme of holidays? Now Faith finds herself in need of another transplant.  COTA has served Faith well in assisting with the many  costs that come with.Transplant medical expenses. Thankfully, this account is hers for a lifetime, not just in childhood.100% of funds go directly to faith’s expenses for Transplant medical needs  Faith and her family appreciate your donations and your prayers as she prepares for her nextTransplant  

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.