Family Spotlight

Meet Major ... A COTA Miracle

On July 7th, the town of Round Rock, Texas, is going to be rockin’ when resident Major Key celebrates his second transplant anniversary … and his second chance at life. Just a couple years ago his parents, Karroll and Stephanie, could not have imagined this milestone would ever be a reality.

At 32 weeks of gestation, doctors discovered that Stephanie had no amniotic fluid surrounding her unborn baby and she was sent to the hospital for an emergency cesarean section. Tiny Major was born with posterior urethral valve, an obstruction that badly damaged both his kidneys in utero. Major had no kidney function. This premature infant needed dialysis to survive his first months of life, but it was dangerous and difficult -- an uphill battle for the baby. Several times along the way, Karroll and Stephanie prepared for Major’s death.

Then Stephanie heard about the Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford in Palo Alto, California, and the transplant team there gave this family hope. However, the center was 1,800 miles from home and the family would have to live there for a minimum of three months. In addition, their medical insurance did not cover any living expenses or their household expenses while they were out of work.

It was during these days of desperation that
the transplant team at Lucile Packard told the Key
family about the Children’s Organ Transplant
Association (COTA).

“COTA provided hope for our family by showing us that money should not be an obstacle when faced with a transplant. COTA provided hope for our family in the form of encouragement and support to our team of volunteers who worked tirelessly to raise funds for transplant-related expenses,” said Karroll Key, Major’s father.

After a flurry of fundraising activity from COTA volunteers, the family temporarily re-located to California and their hope quickly turned into a miracle when Major received a kidney from his father.

“At birth, we were given little hope Major would ever leave the hospital. Then a transplant center 1,800 miles away from home gave us hope … and COTA helped turn that hope into a miracle. COTA gave us a sense of peace about the financial aspects involved with Major receiving his father’s kidney,” said Stephanie Key.

Today the Keys are back at home in Round Rock, and Major is doing well -- running, jumping and shooting a basketball on a daily basis. He no longer needs physical therapy and he is making huge developmental strides. Major is getting ready to head off to preschool with his neighborhood friends.

According to Stephanie, “As we celebrate Major’s transplant anniversary, the true gift we will remember is COTA … an organization of caring professionals who give children a chance to live life to the fullest.”

Please visit www.cota.org and select “Find a COTA Family” to locate a transplant family in your area needing financial and/or volunteer assistance.

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Giving Options

Benefits for You and Your Family Through Wise Estate Planning

Did you know each year many Americans allow the government to determine what happens to their possessions and pay up to 45.5% in taxes?

Far too many people put off estate planning because they do not want to think about it or they believe they do not have enough assets to make it necessary. And while you may not wish to think about and plan for your demise, here are a few thoughts to consider as you are planning your estate and considering creating (or updating) a will or trust to protect your hard-earned assets and your family’s well-being:

• Take an inventory of all assets such as your home(s), vacation property,
  retirement plans, life insurance, investments, contents within your home,
  vehicles and boats, etc.
• Consider what you wish to leave to a specific family member or friend, your church or a favorite organization like the Children's Organ Transplant Association (COTA).
• Remember family changes, i.e., marriage and divorce, re-marriages, children and grandchildren, adoptions, death of heirs, in all planning.
• Understand that estate tax law now allows your entire estate to be excluded in 2010. Unfortunately, the law expires and reverts to the old language in 2011 meaning that only $750,000 is excluded from taxation. Current legislation to change is this is pending, but in an election year, progress can be very slow.
• Remember that after you have paid income tax in your paycheck, your estate may have to pay estate taxes on any value over exclusion (note amounts above) at a rate of 45.5%, so your assets are double taxed if not cared for properly and your heirs and other beneficiaries will lose out on what you wanted them to enjoy.
• Review and update any will that was created more than five years ago. Following significant income tax and estate tax law changes in the past three years, you need to remember that the new laws of today will apply to the documents you established in the past, and maybe under the laws of a state where you no
  longer live.
• Regardless of your assets today (remember to include life insurance proceeds, investments, home and other real estate, retirement plans, etc.), you have no problem with taxes, but still need to decide who gets what at the point of your demise, and estate planning still would benefit your estate and loved ones.

The Children's Organ Transplant Association also sponsors The McConnell Society, an estate planning group. We would be pleased to send (at no cost or obligation) information entitled the “Record of Essential Information” which will help you work through the maze of what you have accumulated over the years. This information will be valuable as you account for the items you may have forgotten about … and there may be a pleasant surprise or two as well.

COTA’s website has an option to review the tax benefits of establishing one of these options. Simply log onto www.cotagiving.org and review the icons on the left hand toolbar. This will take you to several giving areas which have option to calculate the actual out-of-pocket costs of various outright and estate gifts, view an online will tutorial and much more. Each of these planning vehicles offers personal and tax benefits, while providing an opportunity to support the charitable work you desire.

If you would like any additional information on charitable gift options, such as life insurance, trusts or bequests, COTA also has information that details how these can be beneficial to your estate from a tax perspective. To help you make wise estate planning decisions, please contact Rick Lofgren at COTA for the no obligation (and brochure, “Record of Essential Information.” You can contact Rick via email at rick@cota.org, or via phone at 800.366.2682.

This article is for information purposes and is not binding tax or legal advice.
Please consult with your tax advisor for specific items to discover how they impact your situation.

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Ways You Can Help

Even a Penny Can Help Save Lives

Margaret Tanek, faculty advisor of the Penn Cambria Key Club, recently sent COTA information about an end-of-the-school-year fundraising effort of their club. "Pennies for Patrick" was a coin drive that was held by the Key Club prior to dismissal for the summer. All third period teachers challenged their classes to raise funds for the Children’s Organ Transplant Association (COTA) in honor of Patrick S, a local teen who received a life-saving kidney transplant.

With the promise of a pizza or an ice cream party to celebrate, the Key Club teens were excited to help local COTA patient Patrick while ‘tasting’ some sweet success.

The result of their coin collection? Even though the Key Club Advisor described the school as being in a "distressed part of Pennsylvania" and having only 750 students, they were able to raise $3,678.20 for Patrick’s transplant-related expenses. That breaks down to each student collecting about $5 in loose change -- quite a remarkable accomplishment!

Can members of one of your local clubs or organizations follow this example? Five dollars is not much more than a popular coffee drink topped with whipped cream … are you inspired to give up one treat this week to help a COTA family like this high school Key Club did?

If you would like to learn more about a COTA family in your community and would like to plan a fundraising event in their honor, please email CampaignInfo@cota.org.

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COTA News

COTA Miracle Makers … Time to Get Started

The summer months offer numerous opportunities for COTA Miracle Makers events. Here are some ideas that you can get started on today:

• Fairs and Festivals – Throughout the summer months and well into the fall, many communities host a variety of fairs and festivals. These events provide a great opportunity to reach large groups of people and the perfect chance to spread the word about COTA and rally support for our transplant patients.
• Back to School – Now is the perfect time to plan events in coordination with local schools. Fall sporting events, PTA functions and “Fun Friday” activities are great ways to connect with school children and their families.

COTA Miracle Makers are needed to help raise funds in communities across the country. You can get connected by emailing COTA at CampaignInfo@cota.org and asking to be linked to a community campaign. Be sure to let us know what geographic limitations you may have so we can link you to a conveniently located group. Here are some additional ways you can get started today as a COTA Miracle Maker:

• Click here if you want to Donate Now to help COTA and COTA families.
• Click here to see your many options to Give.
• Click here to learn how you can Volunteer for COTA or for a COTA
  patient campaign.
• Click here to become a COTA Miracle Maker.
• Click here to get involved by helping to Raise Funds to help COTA and COTA families.
• Click here to find out how you can Raise Awareness about the need for organ and tissue donors.

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COTA Fast Fact

The Children's Organ Transplant Association (COTA) provides:
Extensive Volunteer Support
Customized guidance and programs are developed to meet the unique needs of each volunteer group. Throughout the entire community fundraising campaign, COTA’s staff
is available to provide information and assistance, as well as practical solutions to fundraising challenges.

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