With the cost of a transplant often exceeding $500,000, many transplant families are unable to shoulder the financial burden of such a procedure. The Children’s Organ Transplant Association (COTA) is a national charity dedicated to organizing and guiding communities in raising funds for transplant-needy patients. In Dillon, volunteers are raising funds for COTA in honor of transplant patients like local boy Machale “Kel” Bethea.
Machale is the son of Lamecisa and Tony Bethea. Born on August 30, 1994, Machale was diagnosed with Non Ischemic Cardiomyopathy. The doctors at MUSC Hospital in Charleston, South Carolina, have recommended a life-saving heart transplant. An estimated $50,000 is being raised by Dillon volunteers.
Volunteers are needed to assist with fundraising activities that will help with transplant-related expenses. Individuals and groups interested in more information can contact COTA Campaign Specialist Lyndsi Bennett at 800.366.2682 or campaigninfo@cota.org.
Donations may be mailed to the Children’s Organ Transplant Association, 2501 West COTA Drive, Bloomington, Indiana, 47403. Checks or money orders should be made payable to COTA, with “In Honor of Machale B” written on the memo line of the check. Secure credit card donations are also accepted online at http://cota.donorpages.com/PatientOnlineDonation/COTAforMachaleB/.
Machale’s family has asked for assistance from the Children’s Organ Transplant Association. The organization’s priority is to assure that no child or young adult is denied a transplant or excluded from a transplant waiting list due to lack of funds. One hundred percent of all funds raised are used for patient’s transplant-related expenses.