Jared is a fun, kind, and vibrant eighth grader who is known for his love for bananas, soccer, and making people smile. On October 20th, a seemingly normal day, Jared went home from school early exhibiting flu-like symptoms. Just two short days later, he was diagnosed with acute liver failure and was being air-flighted to Children’s Medical Center in Dallas. There it was quickly determined that he was going to need a liver transplant in order to survive. Jared’s brain had begun to swell causing him to lose consciousness during the night of October 24th. His prognosis was grim, so much so that he was on the brink of being removed from the transplant list. However, by the Grace of God, Jared began to show signs of awareness on the very afternoon that a liver match was found. Despite the uncertainties of his survival and the possible brain damage, the team of doctors felt compelled to go forward with the surgery on October 28th. Furthermore, due to the severity of Jared’s condition, his lead surgeon chose to use a machine to preserve the donor liver while they prepped Jared to receive it. This had never been done on a child recipient. Thanks to this decision, Jared’s body accepted the new liver seamlessly, his levels quickly stabilized, and he gained consciousness soon afterwards. 

He is truly a living testament to the power of prayer and a Miracle from God!

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.