Message from COTA President Rick Lofgren

Dear Friend,

“Giving Hope … Making Miracles” The Children’s Organ Transplant Association (COTA) is using this phrase throughout 2009 as a way to recognize the work we do, and to acknowledge the support we receive from friends like you. Over the past year, COTA’s volunteers, transplant professionals and donors nationwide have helped so many of families witness a miracle … a second chance at life for their child or young adult. You are all truly COTA’s Miracle Makers.

To help COTA continue to make a difference for transplant families nationwide, I am happy to announce that COTA’s staff has been working diligently over the past months to bring a new and state-of-the-art website online. You can still find it at www.cota.org, and I encourage you to check in regularly to see many of the new features that will be added, and enhanced, throughout the coming year. COTA’s patient websites are critical to our campaigns financially and to our families emotionally, as witnessed by this quote from a COTA dad who donated a kidney to his baby boy last January.

“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. Thank you, COTA, for not only helping us, but for helping so many other transplant families who are in need.”

Don Broghammer, COTA Father and Living Donor

Your ongoing support of the work we do is making a difference for hundreds of children like Gabriel. Over the past 23 years, COTA has assisted more than 1,300 patients, and has helped raise more than $50 million for their transplant-related expenses.

As I look to the future, Don’s comments above are even more touching knowing his son has many years to continue to grow and thrive following his life-saving kidney transplant. We value all you do to help us make the long and often times very difficult journey to transplant as easy as possible. COTA walks that path with each of our families striving to give hope and make miracles. Thanks for choosing to make the journey with us and with families like the Broghammers.

Happy New Year!

Rick Lofgren, CFRE
President
Children's Organ Transplant Association

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