COTA for Gianna

Our Story

In August of 2018, Gianna Vacca began her Senior year of high school and excitedly applied to colleges. She couldn’t wait to find out where she would continue her educational journey. Gianna applied to the United States Military Academy at West Point and Loyola New Orleans, among others. West Point was her dream college, and she worked extremely hard to meet their high expectations, to qualify both academically and physically. Late December, however, she received unsettling news that she was medically disqualified because of a heart condition. For this reason, we decided to have her checked out by a pediatric cardiologist to determine the cause of her disqualification. 

In March, after numerous doctors’ visits and test we received devastating news. The doctors at Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago diagnosed Gianna with a rare congenital heart disease, Left Ventricular Non-Compaction Restrictive Cardiomyopathy. https://www.heart.org/-/media/data-import/downloadables/restrictive-cardiomyopathy-ucm_312227.pdf?la=en&hash=3204778A62E6B3F0CFE93AA57698E821B88C4C7E

There is no treatment or cure for this disease except for a heart transplant. Gianna’s situation is complicated by the fact that the doctors at Lurie Children’s Hospital have never seen a case in a child as old as Gianna that didn’t present symptoms. At this time Gianna is asymptomatic, but the doctors say that she will eventually go into heart failure. She has been placed on the heart transplant list, and the transplant team will continue to monitor her closely. It is our goal as a family to help our daughter lead a relatively normal life until the day arrives when she will need a heart transplant. The doctors don’t know when, but when she does, we want to be prepared.

With the hospital-projected cost of a heart transplant exceeding one million dollars, it has been highly recommended to us by The Children’s Organ Transplant Association (COTA) to start a fundraising campaign in honor of Gianna. COTA is a national charity dedicated to organizing and guiding communities in raising funds for transplant-related expenses. Unfortunately, even the best insurance does not cover all the unforeseen costs associated with a heart transplant and the life changes and challenges that follow. We are grateful for the love, comfort, and prayers we have received so far, but we need your help. COTA is a non-profit 501 c 3 organization, and your gift, which is tax deductible, will help patients like Gianna live a normal life. Any amount is humbly appreciated, and we would like to thank you in advance for your generous gift to COTA.

♥ How can you help? ♥

Prayers:           Please continue to keep Gianna and our family in your prayers.

Donations:       Though every dollar is helpful, please only do so if you are able.

                        We love you and are forever grateful for your support, prayers, and

                        positive thoughts for Gianna and our family.

Our Sincere Thanks,

Gianna, Giuli, Renee and Tony Vacca