COTA Toddler Gabriel Broghammer Celebrates His
One-Year Transplant Anniversary
January is a special month for the Broghammer family of Rapid City, South Dakota. It was on January 9, 2008, that Gabriel Broghammer received a new kidney, and a second chance at life, from his daddy. Today this rambunctious two-year-old is full of energy, keeping his parents, Don and Christine Broghammer, very busy. However, that hasn't always been the case.
At birth, Gabriel was diagnosed with kidney failure; he spent his first six weeks of life in the hospital. When he was only a few days old, Don and Christine were told by doctors that their precious baby boy would likely not survive. In fact, he was given less than a five percent chance of living.
Gabriel's first year of life included weeks in the hospital, feeding tubes, large quantities of medicines, four surgeries and an immense amount of stress and sorrow for his parents. It was during this time that the Broghammer's friends and family members reached out to the Children's Organ Transplant Association (COTA) because they wanted to help with the financial issues the family was facing.
According to Christine, “COTA means our son has a future. We were so worried about having financial problems in the future due to the transplant bills and prescription expenses. Since COTA started working with us and our team of volunteers, we are able to pay the bills for Gabriel's transplant-related expenses. Because of COTA's help and Don's donation of a kidney, our son has a fresh start.”
Christine recalls her post-transplant days in the hospital trying to care for her son and husband, and thinking how many books are available about parenthood. But she realized that very few books address life in the ICU or handling feeding tubes or constant conversations with doctors. COTA became a very valuable support system during these challenging days, and helped guide Christine and her family through unfamiliar territory.
“COTA provided a website for Gabriel, which allowed our friends and family to keep track of our progress throughout the transplant. This website communication gave us immense support during the transplant, and it gave us hope for the future,” said Don.
Gabriel's first year following his kidney transplant has gone well. According to his parents, now that he is off daily dialysis, he isn't sick as frequently and is eating on his own. A major milestone for the Broghammers came in February 2008 when Gabriel took his first steps.
According to Christine, “he has been running ever since.” The Broghammers have
enjoyed a year of outside activities, including biking and hiking in the beautiful
South
Dakota countryside.
“We so appreciate all of the love and support we have received this year from our friends and family members, and from COTA,” said Christine. “With COTA's assistance, the financial burden that was weighing on our shoulders has definitely been lifted. We can relax, enjoy each other and celebrate the miracle we have received. Thank you, COTA, for not only helping us, but for helping so many other transplant families who are in need.”
Today, Gabriel is a happy toddler who grins from ear-to-ear. According to his parents, he is strong and brave … he is their miracle child.
Please visit www.COTAforGabrielB.com and leave the Broghammers your own message of encouragement, or make a donation to help with Gabriel's ongoing transplant-related expenses.
Good Graft Function Seen in Five-Year Survivors of Pediatric Liver Transplantation
"The success of liver transplantation in children is defined by more than just excellent survival rates. Better understanding of long-term medical considerations is of critical importance in pediatric liver transplant recipients, who by nature of their young age face a greater cumulative burden of life-long immunosuppression," reports Dr. Vicky Lee Ng and co-researchers in the December 2008 issue of Pediatrics.
Liver transplantation has been the standard of care for life-threatening hepatic diseases for more than two decades, yet multicenter data regarding the long-term outcomes have been lacking,” according to Dr. Ng, from the University
of Toronto.
The current investigation included 461 patients who survived longer than five years after undergoing liver transplantation at one of 45 pediatric centers across North America from 1996 to 2001.
Overall, 88% of patients survived with their first graft, while 12% required one or two additional grafts.
Most patients had a functional graft at their five-year clinic assessment, according to the study. For immunosuppression, a calcineurin inhibitor and prednisone were used by 97% and 25% of subjects, respectively.
The risk of an episode of acute cellular rejection within five years was 60%. Chronic rejection was seen in 5% of patients.
Six percent of children had post-transplant lymphoproliferative disease. Thirteen percent of subjects had a calculated glomerular filtration rate of < 90 mL/min per 1.73 m. After adjusting for age and gender, 12% of subjects had a body mass index above the 95th percentile, and 29% of patients had a height below the 10th percentile.
"This study emphasizes the need for a collaborative partnership between primary care practitioners and pediatric health care providers both beyond and within transplant centers to further improve outcomes for pediatric liver transplant recipients," the study concluded.
New Resources from the NMDP Office of Patient Advocacy
In 2007, the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) facilitated nearly 3,700 marrow and cord blood transplants for patients who did not have matching donors in their family. However, many patients who have a blood-related cancer or other disease for which a bone marrow or cord blood transplant is a treatment option do not receive the transplant they need. Therefore, the NMDP has created a new online tool, MatchView, to help patients explore unrelated marrow and cord blood transplant as one of their treatment options.
MatchView allows patients to enter their Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) typing and view the number of potential matches (donors and cord blood units) on the NMDP Registry. To use MatchView, patients need HLA typing results for HLA-A, -B, and -DRB1. The matches are called potential because a transplant center must follow up to see if the potential donors and cord blood units are suitable and available.
MatchView also includes information to help patients and caregivers:
Understand HLA matching.
Understand the steps in the search and transplant process.
The purpose of MatchView is to increase patients' access to information on transplant as a treatment option. It can also help facilitate discussions between patients and their physicians regarding unrelated transplant and the appropriate next steps, if transplant is
an option.
Tips for Referring Patients to the Children's Organ Transplant Association (COTA)
The Children's Organ Transplant Association (COTA) wants to say ‘Thank You' for all you do to refer transplant families to our organization. In fact, patient/family referrals from the nation's transplant professionals account for the majority of
COTA's patients.
The most common way for transplant patients and families to learn about COTA is through you, a transplant professional. Here are some tips for referring patients to COTA -- these tips may be helpful during your pre-transplant evaluations:
Explain that families who do organized fundraising typically navigate the transplant process with less stress.
Advise families to consider the types of transplant-related expenses they will have to cover, including, loss of income, meals, lodging, prescription medications, etc.
Provide details about keys features of COTA, which include services provided free-of-charge, comprehensive orientation and training for campaign volunteers, and COTA's no-cost customizable patient campaign websites.
Provide the family with COTA's marketing materials. Please feel free to
request materials by visiting www.cota.org, or by sending an email
to
Nearly 80 patients were successfully transplanted during COTA's 2008 fiscal year that ended June 30th. That brings the total number of COTA patients transplanted to more than 890 in the 23 years COTA has served transplant-needy families.
“Giving Hope ... Making Miracles is more than a slogan for the Children's Organ Transplant Association -- it is a guiding vision,” said Lofgren. “We are extremely thankful for the transplant professionals nationwide who continue to share COTA as a fundraising option with their transplant families and patients.”
The Children's Organ Transplant Association (COTA) provides: Extensive Volunteer Training Program
Few families know how to organize and lead a fundraising campaign, but the Children's Organ Transplant Association does. With more than 20 years of experience organizing volunteers in every state, working with thousands of families and their volunteers, and raising millions of dollars, COTA has the expertise to help volunteers be successful. From the family's first telephone call and throughout the fundraising process, COTA provides ongoing support to the volunteers and the patient's family.
Christine recalls her post-transplant days in the hospital trying to care for her son and husband, and thinking how many books are available about parenthood. But she realized that very few books address life in the ICU or handling feeding tubes or constant conversations with doctors. COTA became a very valuable support system during these challenging days, and helped guide Christine and her family through unfamiliar territory. 
"The success of liver transplantation in children is defined by more than just excellent survival rates. Better understanding of long-term medical considerations is of critical importance in pediatric liver transplant recipients, who by nature of their young age face a greater cumulative burden of life-long immunosuppression," reports Dr. Vicky Lee Ng and co-researchers in the December 2008 issue of Pediatrics. 
The Children's Organ Transplant Association (COTA) wants to say ‘Thank You' for all you do to refer transplant families to our organization. In fact, patient/family referrals from the nation's transplant professionals account for the majority of 
