Savannah was born December 5, 2006 to the delight of her parents. They have been married for 15 years and she is their only child. Savannah was diagnosed with Biliary Atresia in April 2007. Biliary Atresia affects approximately 1 in 15,000 births. The disease causes inflammation and obstruction of the bile ducts which results in the back up of bile in the liver. The bile destroys the healthy liver and forms scar tissue further trapping the bile and causing cirrhosis of the liver and finally liver failure. Savannah had cirrhosis of the liver and without a liver transplant she would not have lived.

Image of Savannah courtesy of JessicaLorren.com

The doctors at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia in Pennsylvania recommended that she undergo a life-saving liver transplant. On December 29, 2007, Savannah received her "Gift of Life"...she received her liver transplant.  Savannah is now post-transplant and will require medication because she will be immune suppressed for the rest of her life.

Savannah's supporting volunteers have set a goal to raise $75,000 to help her family with the costs associated with Savannah's condition and transplant.

With the cost of a transplant often exceeding $500,000, many transplant patients 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.

If your club, church, school, civic group, or other organization would like to help Savannah please contact the Children’s Organ Transplant Association, 2501 COTA Drive, Bloomington, Indiana, 47403 or via phone at 800-366-2682. Checks or money orders should be made payable to COTA, with “In Honor of Savannah Anselmo” written on the memo line of the check.

Savannah's story

Image of Savannah courtesy of JessicaLorren.com