Olivia has been struggling with chronic pancreatitis with necrosis since July of 2020. She seemed to have pancreatitis attacks every 3 months or so and then they became more frequent. Since 2023, the attacks can happen multiple times a month, causing long hospital stays. With the chronic pain, Livvy has been unable to attend school or participate in any activities that a typical healthy 16 year old would enjoy. She takes several strong medications to cope with the pain.

Olivia’s pancreas no longer functions normally, therefore she now takes insulin for diabetes. She also has to take lipase pancreatic enzymes to assist with digestion. There have been many failed attempts with surgeries and procedures to alleviate Livvy’s pain. Our local hospitals told us that there was nothing else they could do for Olivia and recommended that we reach out to the GI/pancreas department at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. We did just that!

We arrived in Cincinnati in October of 2023 so Livvy could be evaluated. While in Cincinnati, Olivia ended up having two episodes of pancreatitis where she had to be hospitalized both times. Olivia has now had pancreatitis 11 times in 2023 and over 20 times since the attacks have started. Thankfully, Olivia was approved for surgery! She will have Total Pancreatectomy with Islet Autotransplantation (TPIAT) in January of 2024. This is a major complex surgery and will require long-term follow-up care and treatment. During this surgery, Livvy will have her pancreas, spleen, appendix, gallbladder, and part of her small intestines removed. Then her gastrointestinal tract has to be reconfigured. During the surgery, the surgeon will remove any viable islet cells from the pancreas and implant them into the liver. The hope is that the liver will begin to make insulin over time. This process could take 12 month before knowing if it was successful.

After surgery, Livvy will require years of follow-up care and we will travel back to Cincinnati many times. Olivia is looking forward to doing several activities once she is better. She enjoys going to Church, participating in Drama Club at school, going to the mall, and just hanging out with friends. We are looking forward to Livvy being pain free and living life. She wants to be a nurse! We thank GOD for each of you that have donated and prayed for Olivia! 

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.