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Tucson infant receives half-million dollar heart transplant

Infant receives half-million dollar surgery
Posted at 5:06 AM, Jan 10, 2018
and last updated 2018-01-11 11:20:48-05

A two-month-old Tucson girl received a life-saving heart transplant in Phoenix, according to The Children's Organ Transplant Association.

Violet Wittman was diagnosed with Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome. HLHS is a condition that is deadly if left untreated; the left side of her heart didn't develop, leaving only the right side working. Violet's parents, Jennifer and Brandon Wittman, were told Violet might not survive birth given how fragile she'd be. 

In a miracle, not only did she survive, but Violet survived long enough to be eligible for a heart transplant on Thanksgiving Day, 2017. The next day, the doctors at Phoenix Children's Hospital in Phoenix, Arizona, performed the life-saving heart transplant.

With the cost of a transplant often exceeding $500,000, many transplant families are unable to shoulder the financial burden of such a procedure. Tucson volunteers are raising $50,000 in Violet's honor for COTA, which is assisting Violet's family and other families like hers.

Violet's family has asked for assistance from the Children's Organ Transplant Association. The organization's priority is to assure that no child or young adult is denied a transplant or excluded from a transplant waiting list due to lack of funds. One hundred percent of all funds raised are used for patients' transplant-related expenses.

If you'd like to help the Wittman's, secure credit card donations are accepted online at this site.