~ a note from Kya and Angelia

From Kya

Hello everyone!

Believe it or not, I am the older sister. Eli is a giant so I look like the baby sister, but I am not. 🙂 First I want to say how thankful I am to have so many supportive people in our lives. It means the world to us that we can participate in a program like COTA that supports us and other families like ours.  

I also want to give a shout out to my inspiring parents, and their impeccable strength throughout this whole experience. Even though I’m an angel child and don’t do ANYTHING wrong, ever ;), I know firsthand that this medical business is not fun to deal with and I want to highlight their efforts in keeping us pumped up (pun intended). 

The beginning of my 2024 year was a rough start, as I ended up in the hospital two times. However, I am doing better now and have stayed out of the hospital since then. My symptoms have been more stable and some new medications have helped me be more active than before. Let us hope for a good beginning to 2025!

Thank you again, each of you mean the world to us.

With love,

Kya

From Angelia

Tomorrow we begin a long series of medical appointments for Eli as we navigate transferring from the pediatric transplant team to the adult team. As of the last check, we have over 20 appointments scheduled between tomorrow and the end of December to complete the required tests and consults. It’s a very thorough process and one we will manage one appointment at a time.

We want to wish everyone a wonderful Thanksgiving! Cherish every moment with your loved ones!

Here is a basic overview of heart transplant: How does heart transplant surgery work? by TedEd .