LOCAL

Funds being raised to help Lansing girl, 10, after a life-saving cell transplant

Lansing State Journal

LANSING - Before Aniya Cromartie, 10, was admitted to Cincinnati Children’s Hospital for a life-saving transplant last month, she shared her biggest fear with her mother.

"What if it doesn’t fix me?" she asked.

Aniya Cromartie, 10, with her mother Ekayla Cromartie at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital where she is recovering from an islet cell transplant. Family members have raised more than $15,000 for the Children’s Organ Transplant Association to help fund her expenses related to the procedure and her recovery.

It was heartbreaking to hear her daughter ask that question, Ekayla Cromartie, 31, said, but understandable, too.

"It took a very long time to explain to Aniya what the surgery was," she said. "The whole hope of this honestly, the biggest thing we wanted, was to take away her pain."

Aniya has struggled with pain from chronic pancreatitis for over three years. The islet cell transplant performed on March 25 in the Ohio hospital came with the removal of her pancreas, appendix, spleen, and parts of her intestines.

"She’s never had a childhood where she could just be a kid," Ekayla Cromartie said.

The 20-hour surgery could change that. If it's successful, the islets transplanted from Aniya's pancreas to her liver will help her liver do what her pancreas could not.

The constant pain that's plagued the Lansing girl for years should lessen.

A long recovery

Aniya loves science, swimming and fashion.

The homeschooled fourth-grader dubs herself a "fashionista," and has a habit of cutting up her clothing to create something new to wear.

Chronic pain doesn't suppress Aniya's enthusiasm, Ekayla Cromartie said.

"She is one of those kids who, when she gets up, likes to put her music on and dance," she said.

But the chronic pain caused by her inflamed pancreas made attending public school impossible, Ekayla Cromartie said.

Aniya has lost out on the opportunity to build friendships there, she said. She doesn't know how to carry on conversations with peers that don't center around pain management and hospitals.

Aniya Cromartie, 10, with her brother Kaleb Cromartie at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital where she is recovering from an islet cell transplant.

Aniya is a "fighter," her aunt Ashley Cromartie said.

"All the pain that she goes through she tries to push through and put a smile on her face," she said. "We want her to be well."

Her family hopes the transplant is the first step.

Aniya's recovery will take time, her family says.

She'll be in the hospital for at least six weeks. Ekayla, Aniya's brother Kaleb, 3and her grandmother are with her.

After Aniya leaves the hospital, she'll need to stay in Cincinnati for two months while medical staff monitors her progress.

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Raising funds to help with expenses

Hospital staff connected the Cromarties with the Children’s Organ Transplant Association, a nonprofit that organizes fundraising for transplant-related expenses.

All funds raised for COTA in honor of Aniya will assist with a lifetime of transplant-related expenses, according to a news release from the nonprofit.

A campaign to raise money for Aniya at https://cota.org/campaigns/COTAforAniyasFight/blog/our-story aims to raise $35,000. So far over $15,000 has been donated.

"It’s an amazing organization," Ekayla Cromartie said. "It takes a lot of the stress off of me so I can just focus on my kids."

In the last three weeks, Aniya has struggled during recovery. She's been having short seizures, Ekayla Cromartie said. Doctors say they are her body's way of responding to stress.

"Unfortunately we just have to wait them out," she said.

When Aniya is allowed to go home to Lansing, her mother is hopeful she'll able to "just be a kid."

"That’s something she’ll have to learn but I’m very confident she’ll be really good at it," she said.

Want to donate?

Contributions may be sent to the Children’s Organ Transplant Association, 2501 W. COTA Drive, Bloomington, Indiana, 47403. Checks should be made payable to COTA, with “In Honor of Aniyas Fight” written on the memo line. Online donations are being accepted at www.COTAforAniyasFight.com.

T-shirts being sold to help raise funds can be purchased at https://www.customink.com/fundraising/aniyas-fight?utm_campaign=mobile-campaign-page-share&utm_content=aniyas-fight&utm_medium=social&utm_source=copy-link .

Contact Rachel Greco at rgreco@lsj.com. Follow her on Twitter @GrecoatLSJ.