This is Isabella Buchholz, who recently turned 13 years old. She is a 7th grader at Show Low Jr. High School in Show Low, Arizona.
Here is her story:
On May 18, 2016, Isabella suffered a seizure, and was rushed to the local hospital. From there, an emergency plane ride to Phoenix Children’s hospital. Once there, she was diagnosed to be in stage-4 kidney failure. For the past 3 years, Bella has been able to maintain her health through constant monitoring and with daily medication, but could only be put on the transplant list after she was closer to total kidney failure.
In October of this year Bella’s kidney function was low enough to be put on the transplant list. We got our first call shortly thereafter to come to the Children’s Hospital, there was a potential kidney. Unfortunately, it was not a match for Bella. While we were disappointed, it WAS a match for another child, which was wonderful. Then, the day before Thanksgiving, we got a call that we had a live donor, a perfect match for Bella!
Now, the time has come for the first transplant, and we are asking for your help. Her mother, Ashley, her step-dad Dan, and her siblings Hanna and Ian are ready for Isabella to be on the road to a new and healthy life.
We live 3 hours from Phoenix Children’s Hospital, and in addition to the upcoming surgery, Bella must remain in Phoenix for 6-8 weeks, in order to be close to the hospital while she recovers. After that, Bella will have to have twice weekly visits to Phoenix Children’s Hospital, and will be on medication for the rest of her life. She will also face another transplant at some point, as there is a 15-30 year period of time that the transplanted kidney will have to be replaced.
Through all of the daily medication, the blood tests, the in-hospital exploratory procedures, the bi-monthly long trips for the doctor visits, the daily injections to help her grow (which she administers herself) Bella has remained upbeat and continues to keep up with her school work as well as being a cheerleader and playing on the volleyball team for her school. She is also an amazing artist and loves drawing and painting.
Any assistance you may be able to help with would be greatly appreciated. All funds donated to COTA in Isabella’s honor will help with a lifetime of transplant-related expenses.
On behalf of Ashley and Bella, and the rest of our family, we appreciate the outpouring of love, prayers and support shown over the past 3 years and undoubtedly, in the months 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.