Tessa is a creative teenager attempting to live life normally despite her body demanding that she limit herself as it fights to live.  She loves being around people and making people laugh as much as possible.  Her laugh is contagious and helps people feel at ease during awkward situations.  So once she started to complain about feeling bloated and having stomach pain we knew we should further investigate the cause.  She appeared 5 months pregnant before we knew she was in liver failure and needed to be hospitalized to have further testing.  We were in shock and cried a lot during this time of discovery, however we choose to believe that she was strong and could attempt to live her life with medications, knowing she would eventually need a liver transplant. 

As we were making plans for her liver transplant we discovered after a bone marrow biopsy that she has a rare blood cancer called Essential Thrombocythemia, which is a lifelong condition that can be managed with medication.  This blood cancer causes clotting in the blood, which was the cause of her vessels becoming occluded, which is limiting the blood flow to her liver. 

Tessa will have a lifelong journey of doctors’ appointments, lab work, imaging, and being challenged in ways that most adults will not experience until they are old.  As a teenager she isn’t asking to drive the car or get her first paying job, she’s asking for a liver to be healthy.  We are hoping this will happen and appreciate any support you can give COTA in her honor as we share this journey with you.

“We make a living by what we get.  We make a life by what we give.”-Winston S. Churchill

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.