February 3, 2025 — February is the month to celebrate love and hearts. Since 1964, February has been known as American Heart Month throughout the United States. For the Gergen family of Duvall, Washington, February truly is a month to celebrate selfless gifts from the heart. Their daughter, Arden, is alive and able to celebrate Valentine’s Day (also recognized as National Donor Day) this year because of the new heart she received right before Christmas 2021.
Melanie and Mike Gergen welcomed their second child, Arden, into their family in March 2007. Arden was born with Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome, which meant only half of her heart fully developed. This condition was discovered at Melanie’s 20-week pregnancy appointment. Due to the diagnosis, early in Arden’s life, she underwent nine surgeries — four of which were open-heart surgeries. With the exception of extra doctor appointments, Arden had a relatively normal childhood.
That changed in July 2021 following a protocol heart catheterization and liver biopsy, which showed her liver had significantly hardened due to years of restricted blood flow. At that point, Melanie and Mike were told Arden’s only option was a heart transplant. If her heart began to function normally, the liver would likely heal itself. Without a heart transplant, her liver would worsen, and she would need both a heart and a liver transplant.
That summer, 14-year-old Arden underwent a battery of tests to see if she was eligible for a heart transplant. The testing was intense, both physically and psychologically. Once completed, the family was sent home to wait for the results. According to Melanie, “Several months later we received both the happy and scary news that Arden was approved and officially added to the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) waiting list for a new heart. Many emotions ran through all of us and lots of questions …. When will the call come? … What will it mean for our family? … How will we facilitate taking care of our three other daughters? … How long will it take to find the perfect heart for Arden? … How will the donor family feel? … and so many more.”
One of the questions both Melanie and Mike pondered was the cost of a heart transplant itself – not to mention the myriad of transplant-related expenses. Melanie said, “Without Arden’s transplant social worker, we would have never learned about the Children’s Organ Transplant Association (COTA). We simply did not fully understand the extent of the financial burden our family would face.”
On November 4, 2021, Melanie called COTA to learn more. Less than three weeks later, the family’s signed agreement arrived at COTA’s headquarters … the Gergen family officially became part of the COTA Family, and Arden became a COTA Teen.
COTA uniquely understands that parents who care for a child or young adult before, during and after a life-saving transplant have enough to deal with; therefore, COTA’s model shifts the responsibility for fundraising to a team of trained volunteers. COTA is a 501(c)3 charity so all contributions are tax deductible to the fullest extent of the law, and funds are available for a lifetime of transplant-related expenses.
In early December, a COTA fundraising specialist trained the family’s group of volunteers via telephone so fundraising for transplant-related expenses could begin immediately. The staff member shared information about the organization’s fundraising process, fundraising templates, guidance and support, and the no-cost website they would be provided. COTA in honor of Arden was launched, and the website was immediately available for online donations for transplant-related expenses.
On December 13, 2021 – just 10 days after being listed – the Gergens received the best Christmas gift possible … a perfect heart had been found for Arden. Melanie and Mike reflect, “We are not sure anyone can prepare you for the moment you hear those words and the endorphin rush you experience. No one can prepare you for the moment they wheel your daughter away to receive a new heart.”
They shared the news on the COTA-provided website with this message, “Arden is in good spirits other than being worried about missing finals at school. That’s our studious girl! Last night, she and her three sisters had one last ‘pre-transplant sleepover.’ Thank you for your prayers for the donor’s family, for Arden, and for the many doctors who will care for our sweet girl.”
After what seemed an eternity, the surgeon came out and told them the transplant was successful … but to be prepared for ‘ups and downs’ over the coming days. In reality, days turned into weeks for this family. They continued to post on the COTA campaign website, keeping friends and family members connected and updated during the weeks following Arden’s transplant.
On January 27, 2022, they posted, “Today the doctors are removing her chest tube. Tomorrow morning, Arden will have another chest x-ray. If it looks good, they plan to discharge her. I may or may not have bawled/cried when the doctor told us the plan. Please keep the prayers coming … we are not out of here yet. And on January 28th, “We are going home! It has been a long 48 days, but Arden going home with her new heart makes it all worth the wait.”
The Gergens updated their COTA followers for several months following Arden’s discharge to home. Utilizing COTA’s guidance and tools, their volunteer team raised nearly $77,000 for COTA, who will assist with transplant-related expenses that will span a lifetime. Looking back now, three years post-transplant, Melanie shared these thoughts: “As you can imagine, a heart transplant and associated hospital stay is an emotionally draining experience. COTA allowed us to message our family and friends succinctly, so instead of messaging 60 different people daily, they could all read a blog post, be engaged with Arden’s story, pray for what we needed at the moment, and be part of our journey. As a parent going through all of this, you cherish the few moments of peace you are provided in a hospital room, and the last thing you want to do is feel like you should reply to messages (emails, texts, and voicemails). The COTA-provided platform ensures everyone is updated without adding extra stress while at your child’s bedside.”
She continued, “Another meaningful aspect about COTA is the financial support. After being in the hospital for 48 days, we arrived home to find our ‘new normal’ … and the bills started to arrive. Having the financial support gave us significant emotional and financial relief. As family and friends supported COTA in honor of Arden, they became part of the journey, which is very important.”
Arden is now three years post-transplant and is thriving. COTA funds continue to have a tremendous impact. Arden’s medications, lab visits, and clinic appointments are significant transplant-related expenses and will be for the rest of her life. Some of her medications cost more than $1,500 per month. “When people ask if their contributions to COTA help, the resounding answer is a huge YES,” Melanie said.
“COTA allows us to focus on Arden’s health and not worry about the costs of prescriptions, tests and procedures,” she continued. “We submit our transplant-related expenses, and COTA reallocates funds for those that are eligible. Thanks to COTA, we are truly not alone on this lifetime journey.”
Today, Arden is a dedicated student finishing up her last semester of high school. She spends most Sunday afternoons ice skating. Arden started a Spanish Club at her high school and loves planning meetings for her classmates. She also competes on her school’s speech and debate team. Thanks to her new heart, Arden is able to dream about a future – a future inspired by the nurses who cared for her in the hospital to pursue a career in pediatric cardiac intensive care nursing. Arden recently committed to attend The University of Tennessee in Knoxville. She was accepted into their School of Nursing and will start classes this fall.
This Valentine’s Day, Melanie, Mike, and Arden will be remembering their heart donor angel with love and gratitude and will be treasuring their COTA volunteers. “We will be forever grateful for COTA’s commitment to helping families like ours,” they added. “COTA holds a very special place in all of our hearts.”
Happy Valentine’s Day and Happy Donor Day Gergen Family from your COTA Family!
Observed every year on Valentine’s Day, February 14th, National Donor Day is an observance dedicated to spreading awareness and education about organ, eye, and tissue donation. By educating and sharing the Donate Life message, we can each take small steps every day to help save and heal more lives and honor the donor’s legacy of generosity and compassion. You can visit www.RegisterMe.org to indicate your wish to be a life-saving donor.
