The Children's Organ Transplant Association will never request personal or banking information via email from patient families, volunteers or supporters. If you receive any requests for this information and suspect
it may be fraudulent, please contact COTA at 800.366.2682. COTA does not sell, share, rent or otherwise make available any personal or financial information.
Family Spotlight
The Best Mother’s Day Gift …
A Daughter’s Second Chance at Life
Hayley Resk was born on June 2, 1993. Hayley was a very healthy infant and toddler. However, just after her third birthday she was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis following a prolonged episode of diarrhea and weight loss. At the age
of four, Hayley was hospitalized with severe anemia, and by the time she was six, she had her spleen removed to control ongoing anemia. In 1999 Hayley was diagnosed with primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) -- a chronic liver disease that causes fibrosis and blockage of the bile ducts. No treatment for PSC exists and Hayley’s parents, Jim and Julie Resk, were told Hayley would eventually need a liver transplant to survive.
As the disease progressed, Hayley was hospitalized numerous times for complications including bleeding from esophageal varices (swollen blood vessels), jaundice, and ascites (fluid in her abdomen). Finally, in December 2006, her transplant team at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital in Stanford, California, placed Hayley on the transplant list.
That’s when Hayley’s parents reached out to the Children’s Organ Transplant Association (COTA) for help. When asked about the impact COTA has had on her family, Julie Resk said, “COTA has meant that our family had an organization working with us – an organization that was willing to guide us through this difficult time in our lives. Everything was scary and all-consuming, and COTA worked with our volunteers to help lift this huge medical financial burden off our shoulders and make this transplant for our daughter a reality.”
Julie continued, “COTA provided us hope simply by the information and support they offered. The thought of the transplant was overwhelming emotionally for us, and to not have to worry about the financial side was what we needed at the time. COTA and our family and friends allowed us to concentrate on Hayley getting better.”
Hayley received a portion of her mother’s liver on February 12, 2007. Now, two years later, Hayley is doing well; has returned to school, and has resumed most of her normal teenager activities – including hanging with her friends, studying marine biology (her passion) and working to save manatees and our oceans. Hayley thanked her mom on her website (www.COTAforHayleyR.com) for the liver donation and for giving her second chance at life. Here’s her letter to her mom:
Mom,
I don't know if I will ever be able to repay you for what you have done for me. It's been beyond words what these past months have been like for me, but I am going to try and put my feelings on paper.
It seems like a dream of so long ago when I first remember being told I was going to need a liver transplant. It had been discussed, but never put out there so pointedly. At first, I was like, "Okay … just another surgery, right?” But the doctors said there would be a list -- a list that I would have to wait on until a liver that matched mine was available. At that point, it wasn't the surgery, or missing school, or the pain, or the recovery that scared me, it was the wait. I couldn't handle the thought of just waiting (in my head, I was hooked up to wires in the hospital), and waiting. I was told of the nearly 100,000 other people on this list, and my heart ached. I knew their pain. Together, we began waiting for someone to save me -- to make that selfless decision to donate life.
And then, like a miracle come true, I remember the day you volunteered to be my donor. You didn't need even a second to think about it. You stepped up at that moment; I knew you were/are the best mom on earth. I wish every person on that “transplant list” could be as lucky as I was. I felt safe knowing you were always there for me -- and I just knew your liver was going to work, no doubt about it.
After the transplant, the first time I saw you, I exploded with happiness. I was so happy we had both made it through. Since then, I've learned so much through our experience. You've taught me things without even knowing it. I've learned to never, ever give up, and to stay strong. I now know I am brave. You have taught me to love with the greatest of my ability. I hope we can spend this Mother's Day with a nice walk on the beach to celebrate our mother/daughter bond … a bond that saved my life.
Love, Hayley
Please visit www.COTAforHayleyR.com and leave the Resks
your own message
of encouragement, or make a donation to help with ongoing
transplant-related expenses.
In today’s unsettling economy, the estate plans you make now affect the lives of many people and organizations you care about; your decisions should be carefully considered. Chances are you will act on some decisions now, but other choices need to be reviewed periodically to see if they are still the best for your current circumstances.
In planning your estate, you will need to create several legal documents -- documents that will protect the financial stability of loved ones and will protect your health when you are unable to make medical decisions for yourself. These basic estate planning documents provide invaluable benefits.
Will
A will is the basis for your estate plan and helps determine which individuals or charitable organizations will benefit financially at your death; who will manage your estate; and who will care for your minor children.
Property Distribution: Your will defines how assets are distributed at your death. If you have no valid will, the state where you live decides who benefits from
your estate.
Your Personal Representative: This person, named in your will, pays bills and taxes for your estate, collects income due to the estate and distributes
your assets.
Guardianship: Your will allows you to name the person you want to make decisions for individuals under your care.
Trusts
During your lifetime you may also wish, as part of your estate plan, to create a trust. The trust may be revocable, meaning you can abolish or amend the trust at any time. Trusts are often used to avoid probate, which is the legal procedure used to validate your will. Assets not placed in your trust during your lifetime can pass at death through a ‘pour over’ provision in your will. Because you have control over assets placed in a revocable trust
(or added to it by your will) during your lifetime, they will be included in your estate and subject to estate taxes.
You may also wish to consider establishing a charitable remainder trust. Through this type of trust you can receive a lifetime income and designate the remainder to go to one or more charitable beneficiaries at your death. Your estate may receive some tax benefits from this type of special trust.
Durable Power of Attorney
A durable power of attorney permits the holder of the power to act on behalf of another individual. This document can be used when a person lapses from competence to incompetence for periods of time (i.e. undergoing surgery) or indefinitely (i.e. suffering from dementia). The holder of the power may perform a broad range of activities, including the ability to buy and sell assets, discharge debts and conduct other types of business.
Living Will/Health Care Proxy
A living will lets you decide whether you wish to have heroic medical measures taken to save your life when you are dying. A health care proxy allows you to choose someone to make health care decisions for you if you are unable to communicate your wishes. It is only used for medical decisions.
Individual and Charitable Beneficiaries of Your Estate
Personal feelings and common sense will guide you in determining how to distribute your estate. If possible, include family members in your estate planning process. They will be more likely to understand, respect and support your decisions.
Through your will or trust, you can name any number of charitable organizations to benefit at your death. Those assets going to charitable causes will be removed from your estate, reducing your overall taxable estate. Making a charitable gift at your death allows you to hold on to your assets in case you need them during your lifetime.
Professionals Can Help
You will want to work closely with several professionals to be assured you are making the best estate planning decisions for you and your family. Please consider the services of a good tax attorney, accountant and/or financial planner.
If you would like additional information about how to use planned gift vehicles so you can make a gift to benefit Children’s Organ Transplant Association (COTA) patients, please contact Rick Lofgren at 800.366.2682 or
There is no obligation to request the information, and the material is personal and is not shared with anyone.
Social networking makes this old adage ring true -- “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know”. MySpace … Facebook … Twitter … are all enhancing the ways the people communicate with each other online. These sites are drawing tens of millions of users because they make it simple to reach out to large numbers of people instantaneously.
COTA has two social networking principles to remember as you harness the power of your online networks …
Do not create a new online social networking account -- use what COTA already offers. The COTA Patient Donation Pages and COTA Campaign Websites are tools COTA provides to campaigns. These online resources offer both communication and donation opportunities. There is no need for you to create a new webpage to raise funds for transplant-related expenses. Simply use your own Facebook, MySpace, etc, to point your e-friends to www.COTAforPatientFirstNameLastInitial.com so they can learn more about a fundraising opportunity important to you.
Contact COTA before you post your message. Always remember to send your printed message, or any e-message, to
for approval. COTA will be back in touch with you within two business days of your submission with either an approval or revisions so you can start using your social networks to spread the word about your COTA fundraising efforts.
Need inspiration? Here is some suggested e-verbiage:
“If you could help make a miracle, would you?”
Log onto www.COTAforPatientFirstNameLastInitial.com to learn how!”
“Help make a life-saving transplant journey a bit easier. Learn more about Patient Name at www.COTAforPatientFirstNameLastInitial.com.”
“Kids like Patient Name need hope, and a miracle. Click www.COTAforPatientFirstNameLastInitial.com to get involved.”
“If everyone reading this blog gives $5 we can give hope, and possibly make a miracle for transplant patients like my friend, Patient Name. Click here, www.COTAforPatientFirstNameLastInitial.com, to make a donation of any amount and to offer inspiration by leaving a Guestbook message.”
“Join me in giving hope and making miracles!” We need your donation of time and resources. Log onto www.COTAforPatientFirstNameLastInitial.com to learn more.”
These examples are just a few lines of text you can add to your regular blog … but they could be a few words that make a life-saving difference. If you need help indentifying a COTA family who needs financial assistance from your online social network, please contact us at cota@cota.org, or click on the Find a COTA Family box found at www.cota.org.
Social networking is just one of the many ways you can help COTA families. Please let us know how you are implementing COTA’s fundraising ideas/tips, or how you are creating your own ways of raising funds for COTA. To share what you are doing as a COTA Miracle Maker, please contact us at 800.366.2682 or log onto www.cota.org and click on the Contact Us link.
10th Annual George Taliaferro Open To Benefit Children Coming June 1st
On Monday, June 1st, more than 100 golfers are expected to hit the links for the 10th Annual George Taliaferro Open for Children, which helps the Children's Organ Transplant Association (COTA) raise awareness and funds to benefit children who are in need of a life-saving transplant. The fun-filled day at the Eagle Pointe Country Club in Bloomington, Indiana, will include prizes, contests, food, and fun. Proceeds from the past nine George Taliaferro Open for Children golf outings have totaled nearly $560,000.
George Taliaferro was a critical member of Indiana University’s 1945 undefeated football team; was the first African American to be drafted by an NFL team in 1949; and is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame. However, if you ask George, he will tell you the real ‘trophy’ in his life would be being remembered as a person who helped give a transplant-needy child a second chance at life. George is All-American in every sense of the word, and he has worked with volunteers nationwide conducting programs to raise funds and awareness in an effort to increase organ donor registration. His personal, lifelong commitment to education and children, plus his dedicated service to the Children’s Organ Transplant Association, are the hallmarks of a true champion.
Many Bloomington, Indiana-area sponsors helped make this event a tremendous success in the past including: Comprehensive Financial Consultants (Presenting Sponsor), David and Bonne Hilliard (Gold Sponsor), Cook Incorporated, Bunger & Robertson, GOC Technologies, Dr. Lisa Baker and Rebound West.
David Hays, President and Senior Consultant for Comprehensive Financial Consultants,
is very proud to have participated in the event for the past nine years. According to David, “COTA’s George Taliaferro Open for Children has become an important client event for us each year; it allows us to interact with each other outside of the office while supporting
a great cause. The mission of the Children’s Organ Transplant Association says it all … to help children and young adults who need a life-saving transplant … that is why we
support COTA!”
"We are thankful to sponsors, and unwavering COTA supporters, like David Hays," said COTA President Rick Lofgren. "The GT Open for Children is an annual success due to their support -- which allows COTA to provide the resources that have helped families raise more than $50 million since 1986."
To participate in the George Taliaferro Open for Children, or for sponsorship information, please call 1.800.366.2682 or email
The Children's Organ Transplant Association (COTA) provides: Services at No Cost and a Challenge Grant Program
The Children's Organ Transplant Association (COTA) does not charge for its services -- 100% of funds raised in honor of patients are available for transplant-related expenses. To encourage volunteers and contributors, COTA established the Challenge Grant Program. Nearly $2.5 million has been awarded since 2000, and 100% of all challenge grant funds are used to meet transplant-related expenses. Every fundraising campaign is eligible for up to $10,000 in challenge grant funds in the first year of fundraising. All funds raised in honor of patients are always used for transplant-related expenses.
In today’s unsettling economy, the estate plans you make now affect the lives of many people and organizations you care about; your decisions should be carefully considered. Chances are you will act on some decisions now, but other choices need to be reviewed periodically to see if they are still the best for your current circumstances. 
Social networking makes this old adage ring true -- “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know”. MySpace … Facebook … Twitter … are all enhancing the ways the people communicate with each other online. These sites are drawing tens of millions of users because they make it simple to reach out to large numbers of people instantaneously. 
On Monday, June 1st, more than 100 golfers are expected to hit the links for the 10th Annual George Taliaferro Open for Children, which helps the Children's Organ Transplant Association (COTA) raise awareness and funds to benefit children who are in need of a life-saving transplant. The fun-filled day at the Eagle Pointe Country Club in Bloomington, Indiana, will include prizes, contests, food, and fun. Proceeds from the past nine George Taliaferro Open for Children golf outings have totaled nearly $560,000. 
