Isabel's Impact

03/12/2026

There are so many wonderful things happening at Isabel’s Impact.

First, we want to thank all of you—our second annual Teeing Off for Transplant Families event on August 3rd is officially SOLD OUT! We do have a few select sponsorships available if your company is interested. It is going to be a fantastic day, and we are excited to celebrate together in support of such a meaningful cause.

We also have a fun update to share: Janelle was recently elected to the COTA President’s Advisory Council. In this role, she helps advise the organization on policies affecting transplant families, supports national fundraising efforts, and contributes to monitoring organizational performance. We are proud to be able to take on a broader role in supporting the transplant community.

Recent Family Contributions
Below are the most recent families supported by Isabel’s Impact. Three of these represent repeat donations to families we have previously supported, allowing us to continue helping them through their transplant journeys:

* Declan Quiller (6 y/o) from California: https://cota.org/cotafordeclansheart/

* Karlin Jackson (6 y/o) from Tennessee: https://cota.org/cotaforteamkj/

* Leilani Morales (3 y/o) from California: https://cota.org/cotaforlanibaby/

We have also recently welcomed four new families into our community of support that I urge you to read about below!

With these contributions, Isabel’s Impact has now supported 49 families and made a total of 58 donations. We are deeply grateful to each of you who make this work possible.

Kei’nani Rios, 6 months old: Kei’nani is 6 months old and is from Apple Valley, California. Kei’nani has been inpatient since she was born in September and just received her life-saving heart transplant on March 5th . She is recovering from transplant now and her mom is looking forward to bringing Kei’nani home in the next couple of months. https://cota.org/cotaforkeinanisheart/

Liam Maddox, 12 years old: Liam lives in Durango, Colorado with his family. He received a life-saving heart transplant when he was just 5 months old. He is doing very well post-transplant and plays soccer. His family still has many travel expenses as they regularly travel to Denver for follow-up appointments, and have a very low fund balance as a result after 12 years.: https://cota.org/cotaforliamm/

Baylee Roles, 12 years old: Baylee received a life-saving heart transplant when she was just 7 months old. She is doing well post-transplant but the family still has many expenses including large medical bills from follow up care. https://cota.org/cotaforteambayleebrynn/

Hannah and Hudson Schmidt are siblings from Texas. Hannah has been transplanted and Hudson has the same diagnosis with transplant sometime in the future. This is a tough situation with a single mom and a dad who walked away. The volunteer team failed to come together which is why you will see a single gift here: https://cota.org/cotaforteamschmidt/

Thank you for being part of the Isabel’s Impact community. Your support continues to bring hope and meaningful assistance to transplant families across the country.

03/06/2026

https://www.kaaltv.com/news/lifestyle/a-heart-for-evelyn-a-childhood-on-hold-until-a-heart-is-found/?utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook_ABC_6_News_-_KAAL_TV&fbclid=IwZnRzaAQXGWJleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAo2NjI4NTY4Mzc5AAEele_cNy5yR8JzczoL8Tf9fWBQg8bdaBzDNF4ZGTQtquSj92y3h9eoxKOoDA4_aem_0AieVBgqclFUuUTOyy4jPQ

‘Please Let a Heart Come’: A Family’s Fight to Save 5-year-old Evelyn who is waiting on a lifesaving transplant

02/25/2026

Who’s ready to join us for YEAR TWO?! ⛳💚

We’re excited to officially announce the return of Isabel’s Impact: Teeing Off for Transplant Families — and this year is going to be even more special. Last year you showed up in a big way to support families walking through transplant journeys, and because of you, real impact was made.

📅 Save the Date: August 3, 2026📍 Rochester Golf & Country Club

More details and registration info coming soon — but for now, mark your calendars and start building your foursome. We can’t wait to see our community come together again for an incredible cause.

01/12/2026

Hello everyone! As we step into 2026, Isabel’s Impact is excited to continue supporting transplant families—made possible by the incredible generosity and encouragement from all of you. We’re thrilled to share that the date for our second Teeing Off For Transplant tournament is officially set for August 3rd. Planning is well underway and we will be sure to notify you when sign-ups go live

We’re also working behind the scenes on several exciting projects this year to expand our reach and impact. More details to come—we can’t wait to share what’s ahead!!

We’ve been honored to make six additional donations to families. Five of these are repeat donations to established families:

Leilani (2 y/o) from California: https://cota.org/cotaforlanibaby/
Debron (17 y/o) from Florida: https://cota.org/cotaforteamdebron/
Sofia (3 y/o) from North Carolina: https://cota.org/cotaforsofiasheartjourney/
Azra (3 y/o) from Ohio: https://cota.org/cotaforazrasheart/
Ariana (8 y/o) from Florida: https://cota.org/cotaforarianasfight/

We have one new family highlighted below, which brings our total families helped to 45 and total donations to 51!

Arthur (10 y/o) from Illinois: https://cota.org/cotaforteamarthurc/

Arthur lives with his mom and brother in Northbrook, Illinois. He received a life-saving heart transplant just days before his second birthday in 2017. Arthur is doing well post-transplant and COTA continues to assist his family with transplant-related expenses years after his life-saving transplant. This volunteer team was very successful, however the families expenses have been significant over the past eight years. You can learn more about Arthur here.

We look forward to an exciting and philanthropic 2026!Arthur

Sofia is a bright, spirited 3-year-old who fills every room with joy, laughter, and a little bit of sass. Born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS), a rare congenital heart defect, Sofia has already shown more strength and resilience than most people do in a lifetime.She has undergone two ope...

12/03/2025

FORTY SEVEN families supported!

This month, due to your donations, we are able to support EIGHT incredible children (and their families) as they navigate the challenges of the transplant world. This brings our total families helped to FORTY SEVEN!!!!!! WOW! Isabel has truly made a difference in this world thanks to you!

Each of these young warriors (and their families) inspire us with their strength, resilience, and courage.

🌸 Leilani Morales (2) – California
Leilani received a lifesaving heart transplant in October 2023 and continues to travel often for follow-up care. We’re grateful to help ease the travel burden for her family.
Read more: https://cota.org/cotaforlanibaby/

💗 Sofia (2) – North Carolina
Sofia is a new heart transplant candidate, and her family is preparing for the journey ahead. We’re honored to support them as they begin this process.
Her story: https://cota.org/cotaforsofiasheartjourney/

❤️‍🩹 Azra (3) – Ohio
Azra is awaiting a heart transplant and has spent considerable time inpatient. Her family faces ongoing expenses for gas, food, and occasional hotel stays during appointments. Your support helps ease these daily burdens.
Meet Azra: https://cota.org/cotaforazrasheart/

🌼 Betty (4) – Washington
Betty received her new heart as a newborn in 2021. While travel needs have slowed, the family still has insurance premium expenses related to her transplant.
Betty’s story: https://cota.org/cotaforbettysbigheart/

🌺 Taylor (7) – Florida
Taylor’s family travels long distances to her transplant center, creating significant ongoing travel costs. We’re grateful to support them on this journey.
Photo and info: https://cota.org/cotaforteamtaylor/

🌟 Ariana (8) – Florida
Ariana received her heart transplant in 2023. Her family continues to face travel expenses and insurance-related costs tied to her care.
Learn more: https://cota.org/cotaforarianasfight/

💙 Zack (14) – Utah
Twelve years post-transplant, Zack still requires ongoing medical care and prescriptions. We’re honored to continue supporting this family after so many years.
Zack’s page: https://cota.org/cotaforzacka/

💕 Chloe (15) – Florida
Chloe received her transplant in 2012. Her family continues to manage ongoing medical bills, prescriptions, and travel for appointments.
Chloe’s story: https://cota.org/cotaforchloen/

Your generosity helps these families focus on what matters most. Thank you for honoring Isabel and helping us continue making an impact, one family at a time.

11/27/2025

On this Thanksgiving, we know firsthand how special holidays with family are now. Cherish them! We also know that helping others takes two kinds of courage: the willingness to give, and the willingness to receive. Both are equally important. Both are acts of love.

Because of you, we are profoundly thankful for three things: Isa’s short but beautiful time here, for every person who chooses to donate, and for every family who allows us to walk beside them.

Because of that shared gratitude and generosity, Isa’s legacy continues; bringing hope, support, and light to those who need it most.

Thank you for helping us keep her light alive. Soak up every minute with your family and friends this weekend!

Happy Thanksgiving! 🦃

09/15/2025

Our SEVENTH Impact!

We’re excited to share that we’ve welcomed four more families, bringing the total number of families helped to 39! None of this would be possible without your continued support. Thank you for helping us keep Isa’s legacy alive.

Please take a moment to read their stories:

Benita (3 years old)
Benita was diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy (the same diagnosis as our hero) at just one year old. She is currently listed and waiting for a life-saving heart transplant. While she is at home with her family, they continue to make frequent trips to the hospital and face many transplant-related needs.
🔗 Read more about Benita’s journey

Elijah (11 years old)
Elijah was diagnosed with Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome and received a life-saving heart transplant in September 2023. Thankfully, he has done very well post-transplant, but he continues to travel more than 100 miles for follow-up appointments. His family—including Elijah and his younger sister—faces ongoing expenses related to his care.
🔗 [Learn more at COTA for Elijah]

Spencer (12 years old)
Spencer, from Roanoke, Virginia, received his life-saving heart transplant in June 2015 when he was just under three years old. Over the past 10 years, his family has faced significant transplant-related expenses and is now running low on funds to cover ongoing medical needs. Most recently, they requested help with hotel and rental car costs for Spencer’s annual transplant follow-up appointments.
🔗 Read Spencer’s story

Debron (17 years old)
Debron, from Miami, Florida, received a heart and liver transplant this past April at Lurie Children’s Hospital in Chicago. Due to his complex medical history, he and his mom have been living near the hospital for over a year and will need to remain there through the end of this year. The out-of-pocket costs for his family, being so far from home, have been extraordinary.
🔗 See more about Debron

08/07/2025

What a day. ⛳️💚🐘

Our first annual "Isabel’s Impact: Teeing Off for Transplant Families" golf outing was everything we dreamed it could be—and more. Because of this incredible Rochester community, we raised over $80,000 during the event, putting us well over $200,000 raised in our very first year as a foundation.

That number is staggering. It won't be long until we will be able to raise $1,000,000 for families in need! But what really hit home was the love, energy, and support that filled every corner of the course.

Thank you so much to all of our generous sponsors who never once asked for anything in return and made the event possible! To our volunteers, thank you for giving your time, your hearts, and your hands to bring this event to life. To our friends and family who traveled from near and far just to be with us, we felt your love in every hug.

And a special thanks to Emma Petermeier and Avery Good—thank you for your tireless dedication behind the scenes. Your work made this event seamless, beautiful, and unforgettable.

This is just the beginning. Isabel’s legacy will continue to help families facing unimaginable challenges—and we couldn’t do it without all of you.

From the bottom of our hearts, thank you! ⛳️💚🐘

Send a message to learn more

08/01/2025

Yesterday marked one year that our heart hero Isabel gave her most selfless gift. In her honor, we would like to post about 4 new families that we have acquired in the past week. This brings our total number of families to 35. One exciting update is that we have given to our first Mayo Clinic family– the family of Declan Quiller. We are grateful to say we have forged a relationship between COTA and Mayo Clinic and hope to help many more Mayo families. We have also re-gifted to one family who remains in need.

Fly high, Isa!

Elijah McGaughey, 2 years old: Elijah was born with a very complex congential heart defect (double-inlet left ventricle (DILV), hypoplastic aortic arch with coarctation (L-TGA), atrial septal defect (ASD), ventricular septal defect (VSD), and pulmonary stenosis) for which he has needed muliple surgeries. Elijah was admitted in Portland in March of 2024; he was transferred to Seattle Children’s and while not in-patient currently, he must remain close by as it is too dangerous for him to go home over 300 miles away from the hospital. The family has had many transplant-related expenses while Elijah and his mom wait for transplant at the Ronald McDonald House. https://cota.org/cotaforelijahstrong/ .

Declan Quiller, 6 years old: Declan is from Redondo Beach, California but Declan and his family are in Rochester while he waits for a heart transplant at Mayo. Declan was diagnosed with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, genetic heart condition, as an infant. His situation has now progressed, needing open heart surgery at Mayo Clinic on July 2nd. Surgery went well but Declan suffered unexpected complications and is now on ECMO (life-support) awaiting a heart transplant far from home. https://cota.org/cotafordeclansheart/ .

Karlin Jackson, 6 years old: Karlin lives with his mother in Olive Branch, Mississippi. Karlin received a lifesaving transplant when he was just six months old. Karlin and his mother continue to travel out of state to Tennessee for appointments multiple times per year. This month, COTA assisted Karlin and his mother with a hotel room, which was paid directly with COTA funds in Karlin’s honor, so the family did not need to pay this expense upfront. https://cota.org/cotaforteamkj/ .

Keylien Zinn, 7 years old: Keylien is seven years old and lives with his mother and grandmother in Pontotoc, Mississippi. Keylien received a life-saving heart transplant when he was just three months old. He will celebrate his eight-year transplant anniversary in December and is doing very well. The family still has regular transplant-related appointments and travel expenses. https://cota.org/cotaforkeylienz/ .

Leonie Derouen, 9 years old– Leonie is a young boy from Iberia Parish, Louisiana that received a heart transplant in 2024. We have previously donated to Leonie, however the family has continued expenses and needs. https://cota.org/cotaforleonie/ .

Leonie was born with congenital heart disease. He had multiple surgeries and procedures at birth. He loves fishing and boat riding with his Pawpaw. He loves hanging out and playing games with his grandma, he calls her NaNa. He loves his bicycle the most. In July 2023 when he was 7 years old, his hea...