Pressing On

08/18/2026

Camp Chihopi is the BEST! 💙💚 What a wonderful experience for kids that have persevered through so much.

08/13/2026

💙💚 What a wonderful morning we had at the Camp Chihopi Parent & Partner brunch!

This morning it was our privilege to provide resources, gifts and connect with dozens of transplant families whose kids will be having the time of their lives in WV over the next few days. 💝 Each family received a parent gift box assembled by our volunteers to pamper themselves this weekend while their child is away at transplant camp. It’s humbling to be connected to so many inspirational families and their stories of perseverance through transplant - what an awesome group!

07/29/2026

👏 Thanks to all the volunteers who made it out this evening to help package resources and care packages for transplant families. We appreciate your help and support. Special shoutout to Griffs Italian Ice and Soft Serve for providing their awesome Italian Ice as a treat for everyone!

07/27/2026

Proud of our wonderful transplant team here at UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh!

At UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, we are proud to support efforts that advance pediatric transplant care, champion organ donation, and give more children the chance to grow up healthy and thrive.

We are encouraged by recent federal action focused on improving access to pediatric liver transplantation. Following advocacy efforts led by transplant experts George V. Mazariegos, MD, and Sang-Mo Kang, MD, along with parent advocate Maria Bell of the Starzl Network for Excellence in Pediatric Transplantation, Senator Chuck Grassley as Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee has requested a review by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) of pediatric waitlist mortality and access to split-liver transplantation.

This important step brings greater attention to the challenges faced by children awaiting liver transplants and highlights opportunities to improve access to lifesaving organs for our youngest patients.

Learn more:https://www.grassley.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/grassley_to_gao_-_pediatric_organ_request.pdf

07/25/2026

🎉 4,000 families.

It’s a number we’re celebrating today, but it’s much more than a statistic.

Because every number has a name. Every name has a story. A story of perseverance. 💙🩵

Since 2019, Pressing On has now had the privilege of serving 4,000 hospitalized families through transplant journeys, long hospital stays, moments of uncertainty, and seasons of hope.

We’ve prayed before surgeries, sat beside parents in waiting rooms, provided practical resources, coached families through transplant, gathered caregivers together, and walked with families through grief when the unimaginable happened.

Thank you to every family, volunteer, donor, healthcare professional, and supporter who has helped make this milestone possible. 💙💚

07/24/2026

🎉 Join us in Celebrating 4,000 Families Served!

07/13/2026

🎉 Don’t miss our SUMMER VOLUNTEER NIGHT - just a few weeks away!

Join us Tuesday evening, July 28th, from 6:30-8:00pm at FCC in Penn Hills…we’ll share the Pressing On story, package some resources for transplant families together and enjoy some Griff’s Italian ice!

Send us a DM or email ([email protected]) to RSVP so we can get an approximate headcount. 📧

🫶 Bring a friend, bring your kids, it’s gonna be a fun night!

07/08/2026

🍽️ When your child is in the hospital, REMEMBERING TO EAT often becomes one of the last things on your mind…

If you’ve ever spent days or weeks at your child’s hospital bedside, you know it’s often the little things that carry you through…

🍿A favorite snack when you finally remember you’re hungry. A cold drink after a long day.🥤 A comfortable place to sit - or even better, a little more comfort when you’re trying to sleep in a hospital room. A conversation with someone who simply understands.

This week, our team had the privilege of serving families on the Transplant Floor (7B) at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh by restocking the family pantry with fresh snacks and drinks, delivering a new supply of memory foam mattresses to help caregivers get better rest at the bedside, and creating space for connection over fresh lemonade and snacks during Caregiver Connections in the sunroom.

None of these things change a diagnosis, but they can change a day. Because every caregiver deserves to feel seen, loved, and valued while they care for their precious child.

🤝 To everyone who supports Pressing On - you make moments like these possible. Thank you for reminding families that they are never walking this journey alone. 💙

❓For those who’ve experienced a children’s hospital stay…What was your GO-TO SNACK or COMFORT FOOD during those long days (if you remembered to eat)? We’d love to hear what helped get you through.

07/01/2026

☀️Did you catch our Summer Newsletter in your email this week?! 💻 Check it out online today to stay up-to-date on all things Pressing On:

06/29/2026

🗣️ Transplant Kids need your Voice!
A Simple Blood Test Is Protecting Transplant Kids — But It Could Disappear. Here’s What You Can Do… ✍️

PLEXIMMUNE is the only FDA-approved blood test that can predict or detect organ rejection in pediatric transplant patients — without the need for a painful surgical biopsy under general anesthesia — by analyzing the immune chemistry of both the child and their donor to help doctors fine-tune anti-rejection medication. Over 1,500 children have been tested since 2014, and it has already been used with roughly 10% of kids under 21 who’ve received liver or intestine transplants in the U.S., saving families and insurers tens of thousands of dollars by catching problems early. However, Medicare currently reimburses only a tiny fraction of the $2,800 it pays for similar (and often non-FDA-approved) adult tests, causing some transplant centers to stop offering it — and you can help by contacting your senator to demand CMS fix this reimbursement gap before kids lose access entirely.

Join the cause by advocating for pediatric transplant patients and contacting your senator this week!