Area Resident In Need of Life-Saving Transplant

Malden, Massachusetts — With the cost of a life-saving transplant often exceeding $800,000, most transplant families are unable to shoulder that financial burden. COTA is a national 501(c)3 charity dedicated to organizing and guiding communities in raising funds for transplant-related expenses. COTA works with individuals of any age with a single-gene disorder such as Polycystic Kidney Disease, Cystic Fibrosis, or Sickle Cell Disease. In Malden, volunteers are raising funds for COTA in honor of transplant patients like local resident, Alex Urquiza.

Alex has been diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis and the transplant team at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, recommends a life-saving lung transplant. Malden volunteers are raising $65,000 for COTA to assist with transplant-related expenses.

Volunteers are needed for this COTA community campaign. Individuals and groups interested in more information should contact Community Coordinator Noemi Urquiza at dnurquiza@gmail.com or 617.981.9964. Media representatives should contact the Public Relations Coordinator Jessenia Urquiza at jcurquiz31@gmail.com or 857.222.9059 for more information about the Alex or the COTA community fundraising effort.

COTA helps transplant families avoid financial devastation. Transplant procedure costs range from $100,000 to more than $800,000. Once the transplant is complete, families face significant transplant-related expenses, including medication; transportation to and from the transplant center; lodging; and expenses while parents are out of work and often living with the hospitalized child far from home. These out-of-pocket expenses add up to tens of thousands of dollars annually for transplant families with lifetime totals often exceeding $1,000,000. In cases where a shortfall exists, COTA helps bridge the financial gap.

Alex’s family has asked for assistance from the Children’s Organ Transplant Association. One hundred percent of all funds raised for COTA in honor of patients assist with transplant-related expenses.