COTA for Junia Y

Our Story

Baby Junia has been a little fighter ever since she was born.

Born on April 19, 2018, by emergency C-section, Junia was resuscitated at birth. She experienced multiple seizures that night and was diagnosed with a stroke, sustaining permanent damage on both sides of her brain. She was discharged after 12 days but developed an unidentifiable, persistent rash that night.

It was only until her mama took her to the doctor’s for a case of diarrhea that doctors tested her and realized her blood work was abnormal. Junia was immediately readmitted to the hospital on May 16 and within the span of a week was diagnosed with acute liver failure, listed as a 1A transplant candidate, received a liver donation, and at 5-weeks-old, underwent a liver transplant operation. She is now recovering.

That said, doctors are still uncertain about what caused any of this: her stroke, her rash, or her liver failure, and are still actively looking for a diagnosis.

We (Daniel and Tiffany) decided to partner with the Children’s Organ Transplant Association (COTA) to help address the financial aspect of our story with Junia. While we anticipate the bulk of costs will be covered by insurance, not all of those costs will be. As you know, healthcare insurance is constantly changing and complex. This transplant will follow her for the rest of her life in such forms as lifelong medications and monitoring for complications. COTA is the nation’s leading fundraising organization dedicated to transplants in children and young adults. Gifts made to COTA in honor of Junia are tax deductible to the fullest extent of the law, and 100% of each contribution assists with transplant-related expenses.

David Livingstone states, “God, send me anywhere, only go with me. Lay any burden on me, only sustain me. And sever any tie in my heart except the tie that binds my heart to Yours.” This is our prayer. Thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone who has and will support us as we navigate this new chapter of our lives.

With love,

Daniel, Tiffany, Olive and Baby Junia