COTA for Lael Strong

Our Story

Welcome! 

In October 2024, Lael was a healthy, creative 14-year-old. By November, she was fighting for her life in end-stage kidney failure. A rare autoimmune disease, P-ANCA vasculitis, had silently attacked her kidneys until they stopped working completely. Today, she survives only because of dialysis—enduring countless surgeries and setbacks—but hope is on the horizon. This fall, Lael is expected to receive a life-saving kidney transplant. Your gift to COTA for Lael Strong will help cover the critical transplant-related expenses that insurance won’t, giving her the chance to grow, dream, and live fully again.

Lael’s Story

Until late October 2024, Lael was a completely healthy, vibrant 14-year-old. She loved art, reading, writing, and making her friends and family laugh. There were no warning signs of what was about to happen.

Almost overnight, everything changed. Lael became gravely ill, and within days she was in end-stage renal failure—her kidneys had stopped working completely. She was rushed into emergency treatment and placed on dialysis immediately to keep her alive.

Since then, Lael’s life has been a whirlwind of countless surgeries, procedures, and roadblocks. Hospital stays have replaced high school activities. Medical equipment and strict schedules have replaced the freedom most teenagers enjoy. And yet—through every setback—Lael has faced it with courage and determination.

After months of uncertainty, we finally have hope. Lael has been approved for a kidney transplant assessment, and the surgery is anticipated for this fall. This is the chance for her to reclaim her life—but it’s only the beginning of a lifelong journey.

The Rare Condition Behind It All

Lael’s kidney failure was caused by P-ANCA vasculitis, a very rare autoimmune disease. In P-ANCA vasculitis, the immune system—normally the body’s defense—mistakenly attacks its own blood vessels. When it targets the tiny vessels in the kidneys, it can cause inflammation so severe that kidney function shuts down entirely.

This condition is uncommon in adults and extremely rare in children. There’s no cure, and treatment focuses on controlling the immune system and preventing further damage. Unfortunately, by the time Lael was diagnosed, the damage to her kidneys was irreversible.

Why We Need COTA’s and Your Help

Even with insurance, a transplant comes with many uncovered expenses:

• Lifelong anti-rejection medications to keep her new kidney healthy
• Co-pays and treatments 
• Travel, lodging, and meals near the transplant center during surgery and recovery
• Various medical and non-medical expenses throughout her journey 
• Household expenses and meals during the weeks or months we must be away from home and unable to work

That’s why we’ve partnered with the Children’s Organ Transplant Association (COTA). Every dollar you give to COTA goes directly toward transplant-related costs for patients like Lael—now and for her lifetime.

Our family is deeply grateful to the nephrologists and entire medical team at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, as well as Lael’s compassionate dialysis nurses, for their extraordinary care and dedication. Your gift to COTA for Lael Strong will help cover the critical expenses that insurance won’t, giving Lael the chance to grow, dream, and live fully again.

Lael is so much more than her diagnosis. She’s a daughter, sister, granddaughter, niece, and friend. She’s creative, kind, and endlessly hopeful. She dreams of a future filled with art, travel, and a life free from dialysis. She dreams of better days. That’s where you can help our girl!

Your support of COTA for Lael Strong will help make that future possible. Thank you for reading her story, sharing it, and considering a donation to COTA to help give Lael the gift of life.

A Lifelong Journey

A kidney transplant is not a permanent cure. While it will give Lael the chance to live without dialysis and regain much of her independence, transplanted kidneys typically last 10–20 years. This means Lael will almost certainly need another transplant in her lifetime.

The medications, medical monitoring, and travel needs that come with every transplant are lifelong commitments. That’s why the funds raised for COTA for Lael Strong will not only help with this first surgery but will also remain available for future transplant-related expenses and the ongoing costs that come with them—ensuring that Lael always has access to the care she needs, no matter what lies ahead.

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.