COTA for Team Brayden

Our Story

Welcome to Brayden’s COTA page. Here is a summary of how a strong, brave little boy (Brayden) has overcome the unbelievable to get to where he is today, which is awaiting his kidney transplant.

After finding out we were pregnant, we were beyond overjoyed. Only our world was turned upside down when I went in for my 14 week check up. The doctors told me I had lost almost all of my amniotic fluid. After seeing countless specialists and hoping to hear our son would be okay, we were devastated by every appointment. We were told Brayden has multiorgan failure, down syndrome, spina bifida, fluid on the brain, and many other horrible diagnoses. At one point, they were encouraging us to abort him, because the pregnancy was “terminal”. We politely declined! Depressed, overwhelmed, and scared to death of the unknown, we pushed forward with the pregnancy taking it day by day.

At 36 weeks, I was forced to do an induction. After a long 24 hours of laboring, Brayden refused to come and his heart rate started to drop. I was then rushed in for an emergency c-section. Brayden came out, screaming! He was beautiful; he was perfect! They immediately intubated him and then rushed him to the NICU. Brayden stayed in the NICU at Lafayette General for 17 days, before he was flown out to Children’s hospital New Orleans. After arriving at Children’s, we found out that Brayden had only one kidney (the left), explaining the mysterious loss of amniotic fluid during my pregnancy. Brayden was diagnosed with Multicystic Renal Dysplasia, Bronchial Pulmonary Disease, Pierre Robin Sequence (small jaw), and failure to thrive. 

Due to having Pierre Robin Sequence, Brayden’s tongue would flip back and completely block his airway, causing him to have a tracheostomy done at 2 months old. After tons of training and a long 4 months in New Orleans, we were able to take our precious son home. We spent the next several months in and out of the hospital with Brayden, for different illnesses like pneumonia and lots of doctors appointments in New Orleans. 

At 8 months old, Brayden was put on a ventilator in hopes to help him grow. This in fact did help our sweet Brayden grow and thrive. Brayden was trach and ventilator dependent until he was 2 years old. At this time, Brayden’s kidney was worsening and the kidney function was declining. His nephrologist stepped in and decided it was time to start weaning him off of the ventilator, in hopes to get his trach removed. Brayden did amazing, and was successfully taken off of his ventilator and successfully passed his sleep study there after. 

In April 2022, Brayden underwent a major surgery. His doctors did a trachea reconstruction and removed his trach completely. Brayden was cleared by all specialists after surgery and in July 2022, Brayden was listed on the transplant list. We were advised that a living donor would be the better option. Dad and I were not a match for Brayden. Luckily in August 2022, one of our friends decided she wanted to be tested and what do you know? She’s a perfect match!

Brayden is now 3 years old, with one kidney functioning at 8%, awaiting his 15th surgery since birth, the kidney transplant.

We are so grateful to be a part of the COTA organization. This journey has never been easy for us, mentally, emotionally, but most of all financially. Knowing we have COTA by our side every step of the way, for the rest of Braydens life, is a huge weight lifted off of our shoulders. 100% of the funds raised and donated to COTA in honor of Brayden will be for transplant related expenses only. We can not express how thankful we are for COTA and all of Brayden’s supporters through these difficult times in our lives.

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.