Run Your Heart Out 5k & Fun Run is an event that will benefit Children's Organ Transplant Association, in honor of McKenzie Hope Young. The event will be help the last Saturday in February each year. For more information on COTA:
http://cota.org/
Packet Pick up will be on race site starting at 7:30 am and at the Rockwall Running Center (811 e Yellow Jacket Ln) from 1 - 5 pm.
Children’s Organ Transplant Association (COTA) is a 501c3 foundation that has been around for more than 25 years, working with families of children undergoing various organ transplants, helping them to raise the funds for transplant related costs. Since 1986, COTA has raised almost $75 million for transplant recipients and last year they helped more than 198 new families. One of those families is the Youngs.
McKenzie Young was only 10 days old when she had to be rushed to the emergency room at Children’s Hospital of Dallas. She was diagnosed with Enterovirus that destroyed her heart in a matter of days. On June 23, 2012, after 6 weeks in the hospital, McKenzie received her new heart.
Since that time, we have continued a blessed journey. McKenzie has done very well, making her first year after the transplant without a major issue. We understand that it is a tremendous feat but we know God has had His protection over her. Because of the nature of her condition, there are many hospital clinic visits to check her blood. If there are issues, it can bring about more clinic visits and is a constant changing game with her medicines. We also know that, with a transplant, there are so many possibilities of other issues developing. In July, she did have her first major incident which resulted in a hospital stay, as the result of a virus that caused her immune system to plunge dangerously low. She will always have a compromised immune system but we adjust her many meds to try to help it. Mandy and Jesse Young, parents
McKenzie’s transplant related costs will continue for the remainder of her life, and her COTA account will always be around to help with those costs. By participating in Run Your Heart Out 5k you will be contributing to such costs as medications, doctor visits, x-rays, and other tests. http://www.cota.org/
