MARYVILLE - With the cost of a life-saving transplant often exceeding $800,000, most transplant families are unable to shoulder that financial burden. The Children’s Organ Transplant Association (COTA) is a national 501(c)3 charity dedicated to organizing and guiding communities in raising funds for transplant-related expenses. In Maryville, volunteers are raising funds for COTA in honor of transplant patients like local child, Nora Worley.

Nora is the daughter of April Burger and Justin Worley. Born in 2012, Nora was diagnosed with Atrioventricular Septal Defect. The transplant team at Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital in Nashville, Tennessee, recommends a life-saving heart transplant. Maryville volunteers are raising $30,000 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 Audrey Faso at 865-456-3955 or afaso811@gmail.com. Media representatives should contact the Public Relations Coordinator Gerri Burger at 865-660-4664 or gerriburger625@gmail.com for more information about the family 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.

Nora’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.

Contributions may be sent to the Children’s Organ Transplant Association, 2501 West COTA Drive, Bloomington, Indiana, 47403. Checks should be made payable to COTA, with “In Honor of Noras Journey” written on the memo line. Secure credit card gifts are accepted online at www.COTAforNorasJourney.com.