Orlando’s story began when he was born, doctors diagnosed him with Shone complex, shone’s complex is a congenital present at birth heart disease. It affects how blood flows both into and out of the left side of the heart. The multiple sites of blockage in the blood flow through the left side of the heart differentiates shone’s syndrome from other isolated heart defects.

Doctors mentioned orlando was not going to make it, they gave him a short life, Orlando had gone thru multiple heart surgeries and other procedures, at 5 years old he was foster by the Macias family and doctors keeped saying he would not reach to be a teenager, Orlando is a young man about to turn 21 years old attending Chaffey college in rancho cucamonga, with many surgeries and many diagnosis, shone complex, pulmonary hypertension, mitral stenosis, arteriovenous malformation, double right ventricle he still fights for his life.

Orlando has been fighting for his life all his 20 years, he loves camping and is not able to go anymore since the altitude doesn’t let him breath, Orlando cannot live without going outside without his oxygen and scooter since he gets tired of walking very easily. He would like to do everything every young man is able to do without constantly trying to catch his breath.
Having this heart and lung transplant would mean the world to him, he wants to live life to the fullest and keep fighting for his life. He would one day want to have a family able to drive and be able to do activities without getting tired easily.

I want to thank family and friends who have been helping Orlando. 

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.