Joselyn Gonzalez, pictured with her family, is looking for a new kidney in order to live out the rest of her life healthy and happy. Photo provided by COTA.
News Release
BREMEN – The Children’s Organ Transplant Association is a national 501(c)3 charity dedicated to organizing and guiding communities in raising funds for transplant-related expenses.
With the cost of a life-saving transplant often exceeding $800,000, most transplant families are unable to shoulder that financial burden. In Bremen, volunteers are raising funds for COTA in honor of transplant patients like local teenager Joselyn Gonzalez.
Gonzalez, born in 2006 to Consuelo and Jose Gonzalez, was diagnosed with end-stage renal failure. The transplant team at Riley Children’s Hospital in Indianapolis recommends a life-saving kidney transplant. Bremen volunteers are raising $45,000 for COTA to assist with transplant-related expenses.
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.
Gonzalez’s family has asked for assistance from the Children’s Organ Transplant Association. One hundred percent of all funds raised, and each contribution made to COTA in honor of patients, assist with transplant-related expenses. COTA’s services are free to families, and gifts to COTA are tax-deductible to the fullest extent of the law.
Gonzalez’s story started on Sept. 28, 2023. Her life changed completely, and she was admitted to Riley Hospital for Children after lab results came back dangerously high. Before that, she had already been in another hospital, where the doctors said they couldn’t do anything more for her. Scared and confused, the doctors gave her a blood transfusion and sent her by ambulance to Riley Hospital, Indianapolis.
When she arrived, the doctors ran more tests, but no one could tell her what was wrong. Her creatinine levels were off the charts, and they said it could be kidney cancer or vasculitis, which is an autoimmune disease. After a biopsy, the answer finally came. It was vasculitis. Her kidneys were only working at 30%, and she had to start dialysis immediately.
Gonzalez stated, “I remember being so full of fluid because my kidneys weren’t doing their job. I got a hemodialysis catheter placed in my chest and started treatment in the hospital. The steroids they gave me made me feel uncomfortable in my own body — I didn’t even recognize myself anymore. When I was finally sent home, I had to travel from home to Indianapolis three times a week for dialysis — a two-and-a-half-hour drive each way. Those rides were exhausting, but I knew I had to keep going.
“The months that followed were full of challenges. My catheter kept causing problems; in 2024 alone, it had to be replaced more than five times. I had to leave pediatric care and move into adult care, which was another big change. During one hospital visit in Mishawaka, my blood sugar dropped, and they told me I needed surgery to replace my catheter again. This time, they placed an adult catheter, which made a big difference. The day after surgery was my sister’s wedding, and even though I was sore and tired, I was determined to be there.
“A few weeks later, I started having terrible stomach pain. I went to the hospital, and they told me it was nothing serious. But later that day, the pain got so bad that my parents had to call an ambulance. After more tests, they found a blood clot near my lungs and heart. I was sent back to Riley Hospital for surgery.
“That was when my parents and I decided to switch from hemodialysis to peritoneal dialysis — which meant I could finally do my treatments at home. After surgery, I immediately felt relief. Not only was the blood clot gone, but I finally felt like I had a little more control over my life again.
“As I started to adjust to doing dialysis at home, I tried to focus on the parts of my life that made me feel like me again. One of those things was college. Even while going through all of this, I’ve continued pursuing my dream of becoming a teacher. I’m currently studying elementary education because I’ve always wanted to help kids learn, grow and feel supported, just like so many people have supported me.
“Balancing school and my health haven’t been easy, especially since I can’t work right now due to my condition and nightly dialysis treatments. But staying in school gives me purpose and hope for the future. It reminds me that I’m more than my illness — I’m still chasing my dreams, one step at a time.”
Through all the appointments, bloodwork, and hospital stays, she has stayed hopeful. While she knows the kidney transplant isn’t a cure, a transplant will give her the chance to live a normal, happy, and healthy life again.
She is grateful for how far she’s come, thankful for her family, doctors, and everyone who’s supported her. Her journey has not been easy, but it has taught her persistence, and she is holding on to hope for a transplant; and for a brighter, stronger future.
Contributions may be sent to:
Children’s Organ Transplant Association, 2501 W. COTA Drive, Bloomington, Indiana, 47403.
Checks should be made payable to COTA, with “In Honor of Joselyn’s Journey” written on the memo line. Secure credit card gifts are accepted online at COTA.org/COTAforJoselynsJourney.
Volunteers are needed for this COTA community campaign. Individuals and groups interested in more information should contact Campaign Coordinator Jennifer Meza, at [email protected] or (574) 209-1313.
Media representatives should contact the Outreach Coordinator Sarai Meza at [email protected] or (574) 209-1313 for more information about the family or the COTA community fundraising effort.
