Status 1 Girl Needs Heart Transplant As Garage Sale Raises Funds Through Children’s Organ Transplant Association

Twin Cities Garage Sale Raises Funds For 6-Year-Old Listed As Status 1 For heart transplant

USA: In the Twin Cities suburb of Centerville, 6-year-old Evelyn Otto has been placed at status 1— the highest priority—on the pediatric heart transplant list after a lifetime of cardiac struggles. Born with a congenital heart defect, Evelyn has endured 10 heart surgeries, repeated hospital stays and, most recently, another operation last month following a cardiac arrest that underscored the urgency of a transplant.

Her family says everyday milestones have been overtaken by medical care; Evelyn missed her entire kindergarten year, and a photograph from her first day of school has become a quiet emblem of the life they hope she will reclaim. Neighbors and community members have rallied, turning donated toys, clothes and household goods into a weekend garage sale aimed at generating immediate support.

Organized with help from the children’s Organ Transplant Association, the sale is intended to offset the steep costs of transplantation and lifelong care. Medical experts and the family estimate transplant-related expenses and medications could total hundreds of thousands of dollars over Evelyn’s lifetime. Proceeds from the event will go toward pre-transplant needs, the transplantation itself when a match is found, and the ongoing regimen of immunosuppression and care required afterward.

As the family awaits a suitable donor and the procurement process, community generosity and Evelyn’s resilience have become the throughline of the effort to give her a second chance. Organ donation advocates emphasize that local support and awareness can make a decisive difference for children listed at status 1.

Video originally published on 2026-06-05 10:06:31