Our Story

As you can see by her picture, Eva is full of life, sassy, spicy and an influencer in this world.  She is an active extrovert whose favorite activities are out of doors and with people. She has a large loving family who are all standing behind her in this crisis but who are concerned about the exorbitant lifelong costs of her care.  Here is her story:

On Saturday, November 9th, 2019, 10 year old Eva came down with what appeared to be a flu virus. The following Wednesday evening she became substantially worse, unable to hold down any fluids and becoming very lethargic. Thursday morning at 4 AM after a period of vomiting fluid she exhibited the beginning stages of delirium. Attributing the delirium to dehydration, we took her to urgent care as soon as it opened. At the urgent care, she was given an IV hoping that it would wake her from her lethargy into a state of normal but, instead, it woke her into a state of altered behavior. 

We went immediately to the emergency room at St. Vincent‘s Hospital in Portland. They soon realized the urgency of the situation and begin testing her for anything that could be causing her symptoms. She was quickly admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) where the attending physician determined by her lab numbers that she was in acute liver failure. A few hours later we were life-flighted to the transplant unit of Seattle Children’s Hospital. 

Upon arriving in Seattle, no less than 30 medical professionals descended on Eva in an effort to protect all her other organs from shutting down. Her kidneys, heart, lungs, and brain were all at risk, but they finally stabilized her. On Friday afternoon at 3 PM they placed Eva on the UNOS transplant list as status 1A making her one of the first in the country to receive a liver.  By Friday night between 8 and 10 PM a liver became available which, while not perfect, the surgeons recommended we accept due to the life-threatening situation. Saturday morning she underwent a successful 14 hour liver transplant surgery. All subsequent testing gave no answer as to the cause of this liver failure. There are only 4-5 children per year in the United States who experience this; it is rare and random. 

I see God working miracles during the situation and I’m certain that He will continue to work miracles in her recovery. We will have to live in Seattle for several months following the surgery which will be difficult on our family. We have amassed significant expenses for medical, travel, lodging and food; many of which are not covered by insurance.  All contributions to COTA and prayers are welcomed and appreciated.

Matthew 5:16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

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.